The United Democratic Front (UDF) high power committee on Friday decided to have electoral adjustments with regional groups and parties for the local body elections.
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However, there will be no alliance with parties outside the fold of the UDF in the local body elections. Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, who addressed a press conference after the committee meet here, refused to comment on whether the front would strike an alliance with the Welfare Party, the political wing of the Jamat-e-Islami, ahead of the local body and the Assembly elections.
A decision on cooperating with regional groups and parties standing against corruption and fascism would be taken at the local level, he said.
Mr. Chennithala said the decision by the Kerala Congress (M) to join the Left Democratic Front (LDF) would not have any impact on the electoral prospects of the UDF. It had become clear that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]would stoop to any level to garner votes. It is a pity that the Communist Party of India (CPI) had surrendered to the CPI(M) decision to induct Jose K. Mani into the LDF, he said.
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Mr. Chennithala alleged that it had become clear that the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan provided all help to those involved in the gold smuggling case. Both M. Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, and Swapna Suresh, the key accused in the case, were trying their best to save Mr. Vijayan. The UDF will organise ‘vanchana dinam’ across all wards in the State on November 1 against the government, he said.
Mr. Chennithala pointed out that the finding by a government-appointed committee that there were lapses in the Sprinklr deal justified the position taken by the UDF against the data contract. He accused the government of trying to silence the media by amending the Police Act under the guise of checking cyber attacks.