"Third term for LDF would have been a disaster": AK Antony hails UDF's victory in Keralam

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], May 4 : Senior Congress leader AK Antony on Monday hailed the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)'s victory in Keralam, stating that the results reflect a strong wave of anti-incumbency across the state.

The former Keralam CM said the election outcome clearly indicates an "undercurrent of anti-government cyclone" throughout Kerala, which worked against the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).

"The results of the Kerala elections clearly show that there is an undercurrent of anti-government cyclone throughout the state. A third term for the LDF would have been a disaster for Kerala," Antony told reporters here.

He further criticised the left government, alleging that ten years of governance failed to address public concerns and that the leadership could not understand the pulse of the people.

"Ten years of misrule, the Left could not understand the pulse of the people," the Congress leader said.

Crediting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the alliance's success, Antony said his leadership energised party workers and played a decisive role in the victory.

"Rahul Gandhi gave energy to the UDF. He was the main force behind this kind of victory for the UDF. Congress and UDF workers worked like a team," Antony said.

Meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF in Keralam has crossed the majority mark in the 140-member Assembly, with election trends showing it comfortably ahead of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

The verdict is being seen as a decisive rejection of the LDF's 10-year tenure, marked by anti-incumbency.

During the 2021 elections, Vijayan ended up securing 95,522 (59.8%) votes, whereas United Democratic Front candidate C Raghunathan received 28.4% of the total votes polled.

The LDF had won the 2021 polls and broken the trend of the state having a change of government every five years. LDF had won 99 out of 140 seats in the 2021 polls, with CPI-M winning 62. Pinarayi Vijayan became Chief Minister for another term.

A UDF victory this time also signals a generational shift in Keralam politics, as the party moves forward without stalwarts like K Karunakaran and Oommen Chandy. Leadership within the alliance is now centred around figures such as VD Satheesan, who has been a prominent voice against the LDF government.

Although anti-incumbency against the 10-year-old LDF government was widely expected, the scale of the UDF's lead has still drawn attention.

Meanwhile, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), for the first time in the history of Keralam politics, will now have three MLAs representing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Keralam Assembly.

Keralam went to the polls in a single phase on April 9, with a strong voter turnout of 78.27 per cent.

Counting began at 8 am today across 823 constituencies in key regions, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Keralam, Assam, and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The process began with postal ballots, followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machines from 8:30 am, with round-wise results being updated in real time on the ECINET platform and the Election Commission's official portal.

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