BJP nowhere in Keralam, contest between LDF, UDF: Congress' Sachin Pilot

Highlighting the decade-old bipolar political contest in the state between UDF and Left Democratic Front (LDF), Pilot said, "The BJP is nowhere in Keralam...There has been a contest between UDF and LDF for decades, so we need to defeat LDF and the Left parties here...People will vote decisively in favour of UDF," he told ANI on Monday.

The development follows the single-phase election in Keralam on April 9, for which all political fronts including LDF, UDF and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have intensified campaigning in the state. Earlier on Monday, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi cornered Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-US interim trade agreement, alleging that the latter has "given away" the future of farmers and the country's energy security.

Addressing a rally in Kottaya, the Congress leader accused PM Modi of opening India's agriculture sector to the international market and allowing the US to dictate its fuel procurement strategy to fulfil the country's energy needs.

"Narendra Modi signed the US deal, where he gave away the future of India's farmers. He's the first PM in modern India history who has opened agriculture to the international market. He's the first PM of modern India who has given away our energy security. Today India cannot buy oil, diesel, petrol from whom it wants," he said.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on LDF and UDF, accusing both alliances of indulging in "vote-bank politics" and neglecting the state's development.

Addressing a public rally in Palakkad, the Prime Minister said Keralam has long been caught between "two models of selfish politics," alleging that while one side is "corrupt," the other is "mega-corrupt," and if one is "communal," the other is "mega-communal." He asserted that both the LDF and UDF have prioritised electoral gains over governance.

PM Modi said the BJP-led NDA aims to bring rapid development to the state, expressing confidence that a future NDA government in Keralam would work towards building a "developed Keralam," which he described as "Modi's guarantee."

The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23. The polling would be done under strict guidelines issued by the ECI under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which came into effect in all poll-bound regions after the election schedule was announced.

The Congress-led UDF seek to unseat the incumbent Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF and gain control of the 140-member assembly. The LDF-led government has governed the state for around a decade. Around 2.7 crore electors are expected to participate in the election.

Following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state electoral roll, the final voter list for Keralam was released on February 21. The revised roll includes 2,69,53,644 voters--1,31,26,048 male voters, 1,38,27,319 female voters, and 227 third-gender voters. Among them, 4,24,518 voters belong to the 18-19 age group. (ANI)