LDF poised to end UDF dominance in Ernakulam, says CPI

The dominance of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Ernakulam district will come to an end with this election, Communist Party of India (CPI) district secretary N. Arun has claimed.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s district council office here a day after the local body polls, Mr. Arun said that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) would benefit from having the upper hand from the very outset in seat-sharing, finalising candidates, and later in campaigning as a united force.

The LDF, he said, faced the election with a manifesto prepared through popular interactions and by gathering opinions from the public. “People have fully accepted the development and welfare measures of the State government, and that will prove decisive in the victory. All attempts to undermine the government’s achievements have failed,” he added.

He claimed that the UDF would be left with no standing in the Corporation. According to him, the UDF entered into an open alliance with communal forces against the LDF, and the people would reject such an “unholy alliance” and give a fitting response. The LDF, he asserted, would secure a better victory than last time.

Mr. Arun said that the LDF would also wrest back power in the district panchayat, which it lost in the last election. The UDF, he argued, faced the district panchayat election without confidence. Internal fissures, public outbursts over seat-sharing, and the emergence of rebel leaders would all deal a blow to the UDF. The LDF, he said, would make major strides by capturing the UDF’s sitting seats.