Kerala: Congress leaders DK Shivakumar, KC Venugopal hold roadshow in Alappuzha

Alappuzha (Kerala) [India], April 7 (ANI): In the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar campaigned for KC Venugopal, Congress general secretary and candidate from Kerala's Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, on Sunday.
Shivakumar and Venugopal held a roadshow, addressing a huge flock of supporters gathered on both sides of the road, cheering the duo's convoy.
Appreciating the Karnataka Deputy CM's participation in his electioneering in the southern district, Venugopal said, "DK Shivakumar is one of the star campaigners in the Kerala elections. He came here to launch my election yatra. I appreciate his pain to come here and speak for me and the Congress party."
Shivakumar also addressed a public rally in Alappuzha earlier in the day and thanked the people of Kerala for supporting Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 general elections when he contested from Wayanad.
"The entire country and Congress members are happy because, during difficult times, you elected our leader, who is giving sleepless nights to the BJP. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whom you elected from Wayanad with a big margin. So on behalf of all the countrymen and the Congressmen, I would like to thank all the Keralites and Malayalis for electing our leader, Rahul Gandhi," Shivakumar said.
Alappuzha, which has seven assembly segments, is a stronghold of Congress, though this constituency has a communist legacy. Venugopal has a successful electoral history in Alappuzha, where he won the seat in the 2009 and 2014 general elections.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, incumbent AM Ariff of the ruling Left Democratic Alliance won the seat, defeating Congress' Shanimol Osman. It was the only seat won by the LDF in 2019.
All 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala will go to the polls on April 26.
During the 2019 general elections, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 19 of the 20 seats. Of these, 15 seats were taken by the Congress, while the rest were won by other UDF members.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 96.8 crore people are eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming polls at over 12 lakh polling stations. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. (ANI)