Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP) State secretary K. Surendran has said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the State thought that the Assembly byelections in Chavara and Kuttanad are inessential.
Mr. Surendran’s pronouncement in Thrissur on Tuesday came against the backdrop of reports that the government was in consultation with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition regarding the necessity of the byelections given the Assembly polls in April 2021.
He said the NDA was ready to fight the bypolls and would name its candidate once the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared the date. Mr. Surendran said the Congress was in disarray. The IUML had hijacked the UDF. It had rendered the Congress irrelevant.
The NDA was the only credible Opposition in the State. The front would field candidates in all seats in the upcoming local body elections. The LDF was steeped in corruption and scandals. The drug investigation in Bangalore and the NIA probe into the UAE consulate linked gold smuggling racket would lead to the doorstep of the CPI(M).
Mr. Surendran said Congress MPs from Kerala were now aspiring to desert national politics for Assembly seats in the 2021 elections. He said the move was an insult to the electorate.
Mr. Surendran chaired a meeting of NDA constituents. NDA convener Thushar Vellappally, BJP national executive member P.K. Krishnadas, BJP State secretary A. Nagesh and BJP district president K.K. Anish Kumar attended the conclave.
