Outgoing Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that the United Democratic Front's defeat in the Assembly elections is a 'temporary setback' and that the Congress would bounce back at the earliest available opportunity.
"Congress has even presence in both urban and rural areas and we will bounce back at the earliest available opportunity," Mr. Chandy told reporters after handing over his resignation letter to Governor P. Sathasivam at the Raj Bhavan here.
Replying to questions from reporters, Mr. Chandy said the KPCC executive committee would meet on Monday to review the election results. He rejected the suggestion that the BJP had made a big advance in the State. He did not also agree with the suggestion that there was erosion of UDF votes to the BJP. If at all there was any erosion, it was from UDF to the LDF in specific constituencies in order to prevent the BJP from winning, he contended.
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To a specific question, Mr. Chandy said he would personally own up responsibility for the UDF's election defeat. He refused to offer a clear answer to the question whether he would take over as the Leader of the Opposition in the new Assembly, since the rival faction in the Congress has the majority in the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). This, he said, was something to be decided by the party and the UDF legislators.