UDF confident of winning all 20 Kerala LS seats

Thiruvananthapuram, May 13 (IANS) The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala on Monday claimed to be confident of winning all the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state, which went to the polls on April 23.

"It will be 20 out of 20 as we experienced a strong pro-Rahul (Gandhi) wave ever since he decided to contest from Wayanad and also because of an anti-Narendra Modi and anti-Pinarayi Vijayan feeling among the people," UDF Chairman and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said after an UDF meeting here.

Chennithala said they were confident even after the Left Front deleted a million voters from the electoral rolls and committed foul play in the postal ballots of over 56,000 policemen.

"Today I filed a PIL in the Kerala High Court seeking intervention in the foul play that has taken place in the police ballots. The Left Front through their officers attached to the pro-Left unions deleted about one million voters. We have asked the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to conduct a probe and have also requested all those voters whose names were deleted to file complaint before the Returning Officer."

State Congress chief Mullapally Ramachandran said he had urged CEO Teeka Ram Meena to analyse CCTV footage of the polling booth at Dharmadam in the Kannur district where Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan cast his vote.

It was the first UDF meeting after the death of K.M. Mani last month.

Dismissing reports of a power struggle, Chennithala said speculations were unfounded. "There are no issues at all in the party. It's only the media that's trying to create one," said Chennithala, flanked by Jose K. Mani and P.J.Joseph next to him at the press briefing.