Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan extolled the achievements of his administration within the final eight-and-a-half years in a bid to shore up votes in favour of the LDF within the bypoll-bound Chelakkara meeting constituency on Sunday.
The bypoll was necessitated after sitting MLA and temple affairs minister Ok Radhakrishnan of the CPI(M) was elected to the Lok Sabha this 12 months from Alathur constituency. What provides CM Vijayan and LDF confidence in Chelakkara, which is an SC-reserved meeting seat, is that CPI(M) has held the constituency repeatedly since 1996.
The CPI(M) has nominated UR Pradeep, who was the MLA between 2016 and 2021, as its candidate. He’s up in opposition to Ramya Haridas of the Congress and Ok Balakrishnan of the BJP. Whereas Haridas was the Alathur MP from 2019 to 2024, Balakrishnan is the present vice-president of the Thiruvilvamala panchayat.
Campaigning for Pradeep, the chief minister reminded the voters about how his authorities took the lead in increasing the nationwide highways within the state regardless of having massive monetary constraints and bringing again the GAIL Kochi-Mangaluru pure gasoline pipeline mission.
“We needed to spend ₹5,600 crore for the nationwide freeway tasks. No state has shared a lot cash for NH tasks in India. We needed to spend a lot cash as a result of the land was not acquired for these tasks on the proper time by the earlier UDF authorities. In just a few months, we are going to see the nationwide highways being expanded and new stretches being inaugurated. Now, think about if the UDF was voted to energy in 2021. These NH tasks would have been caught in limbo,” the CM mentioned.
He mentioned that his authorities, after being voted to energy in 2016, renewed talks for the numerous GAIL pipeline mission, addressed considerations of these opposing it and ensured its time-bound completion. “Right this moment, the pure gasoline is flowing via pipelines within the state and has even reached kitchens. It’s 30% cheaper than LPG. Would the mission have been realised if the UDF was voted to energy?” he requested voters. He mentioned the LDF authorities was instrumental in making lives of poor folks simpler by citing the hike in social welfare pensions from ₹600 to ₹1,600.
Congress chief and LoP within the meeting VD Satheesan additionally made marketing campaign stops in Chelakkara in favour of the occasion candidate, Ramya Haridas. Satheesan slammed the CM, accusing him of hatching secret offers with the BJP. “He (CM) performed a job in disrupting the Thrissur Pooram and serving to the BJP. He despatched messengers to carry conferences with RSS leaders. He has fallen on the ft of Sangh Parivar to keep away from dealing with warmth in corruption circumstances in opposition to his household. You will notice that Vijayan would be the final CM of CPM in Kerala,” he mentioned.
