Perhaps for the first time after the elections, outgoing Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has blamed communal polarisation for the UDF debacle in the just-concluded Assembly elections.
Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a ‘panchayat-level’ review of the elections in his home turf Puthuppally, Mr. Chandy said this was unforeseen by the leadership. He refused to go into his theory in detail, but said the UDF was engaged in a process of having a detailed inquiry into the issues that prompted this polarisation.
This is for the first time that the UDF chairman was acknowledging the impact of the NDA on the Assembly elections. Prior to the elections, Mr. Chandy had maintained that the performance of the UDF would always be based on the inner strength of the coalition and not on the strengths or weakness of other political formations in the fray.
Political violence
He had a word of caution for those involved in the political violence that had thrived after the election. Kerala would not accept violence and the better both the parties involved in it withdraw from such acts.
When asked about the changes in factional political equations within the Congress, Mr. Chandy said the party had a system for resolving all issues and everything would be resolved smoothly.
UDF engaged in process of having detailed inquiry into the issue, says former CM
