Bowing to the decisive verdict in the Assembly elections, outgoing Chief Minister Oommen Chandy met Governor P. Sathasivam on Friday morning and submitted the resignation of his Cabinet. He will continue to head a caretaker government till a new Ministry assumes office.
Later at a farewell press conference, Mr. Chandy attributed the United Democratic Front’s defeat to unforeseen undercurrents triggered by communal polarisation and propaganda about his government.
Earlier in his Facebook posting, Mr. Chandy said there was no point blaming the people because the UDF failed to confront the propaganda. The UDF could not convey the government’s achievements to the people either. He maintained that there was no anti-incumbency factor. If so, he and 14 other Ministers would not have won the elections. He said he discerned a voting trend in constituencies to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from winning. The votes that the UDF should have polled shifted to the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
At the press conference, Mr. Chandy said it was for the party high command to decide whether he should be replaced as the Leader of the Opposition. He had his own perceptions and would express his opinion to the high command. The Congress and the UDF were responsible for the defeat but the burden was on him since he was the leader of the coalition. He said he was confident that the UDF would came back to power since it had not lost connect with the people.
He hoped that the LDF government would continue with the development projects taken up by his government.
Blames unforeseen undercurrents for UDF’s defeat
Says he is confident of the UDF returning to power
