"Very confident that UDF will come to power in Kerala": Ramesh Chennithala

Kozhikode (Kerala) [India], March 25 (ANI): Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and CPI(M) are dealing "underhand" to defeat Congress-led UDF, exuding confidence that the alliance will return to power in the poll-bound state.
Speaking to the reporters, Chennithala expressed confidence in a UDF victory, citing that the people of Kerala are disappointed by the performance of the government.
"BJP and CPI(M) are working to defeat the Congress-led UDF. But this will not work in Kerala. In 2021, it was hatched by both of them, and they got the continuation of the ministry. The people of Kerala are completely dejected by the performance of the government. So, I feel that the people will not allow them to continue. And they will be determined to see that the Congress-led UDF will come to power. So, we are very confident that UDF will come back to power," he said.
The Congress leader further stated that there is not a single MLA from the BJP from the last election, and this election, they are not going to open their account.
"That is why they are having an understanding with CPI(M) to get some seats, and they will help them to checkmate UDF. That will not happen because the people of Kerala understood their mischief, and they will vote for UDF," Ramesh Chennithala said.
He criticised the ruling party, claiming that the vital issues are not answered, and now people are totally in favour of the UDF.
Chennithala said, "Now there is a complete change. People are fed up with this 10-year rule. And all the very vital issues are not answered. And people are totally in favour of Congress-led UDF. That is why we can see it in the election field. You can see the positive response of the people. That is why I am saying that we are forming the government with a comfortable majority."
Regarding Rahul Gandhi's upcoming press conference and its impact on the people of Kozhikode and Kerala, he said, "Definitely, Rahul Gandhi's presence in Kerala will definitely help us to form the government. People of Kerala have had love and affection towards the Gandhi family, not just today, but for decades. So, his presence and his speech in the mammoth rally today are definitely going to help us to win this election."
The 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, the Election Commission of India announced on March 15, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4.
The tenure of the current assembly is scheduled to end on May 23.
Both the BJP-led NDA and 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. (ANI)