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Ahead of the Kerala Legislative Assembly election, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate V Muraleedharan on Thursday underscored the party's focus on "politics of performance" while campaigning in the Kazhakkoottam constituency.
Positioning development and governance at the centre of his campaign, Muraleedharan said he aims to replicate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's model of time-bound delivery of schemes to address local issues. Speaking to ANI, Muraleedharan said, "It's the politics of performance which has been implemented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that we all have been trying to implement again. There are many issues that the people of the constituency face. The Prime Minister has been trying to address these issues on a time-bound basis. I will also work to address these grievances." His remarks come amid the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) renewed push to expand its footprint in a state where it has historically struggled to secure electoral success. The Kerala Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4. The BJP is aiming to unseat the incumbent Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, which has been in power for nearly a decade. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the LDF retained power with 99 seats, marking a historic consecutive victory, while the United Democratic Front (UDF) secured 41 seats. The NDA, despite securing 11.4 per cent of the vote share, failed to win a single seat in the 140-member Kerala Niyamasabha. Backing the BJP's campaign momentum, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje earlier expressed confidence in a shifting political landscape in Kerala. She said there is a "very positive atmosphere" and that voters are increasingly supporting the NDA's vision of a "Developed Kerala, Secure Kerala," with growing demand for the implementation of central schemes in the state. However, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor dismissed the BJP's prospects, asserting that the real contest remains between the UDF and the LDF. Urging voters to back the Congress-led alliance, Tharoor said a vote for the BJP would be a "wasted vote," reiterating that Kerala's political battle continues to be bipolar in nature. (ANI)
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