Pinarayi Vijayan's authoritarian leadership led to LDF's defeat: UDF

'Authoritarian Leadership' Caused LDF Defeat: Sunny Joseph

Keralam Congress President Sunny Joseph on Tuesday said that "authoritarian leadership" under outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was a key factor behind the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) defeat, as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a sweeping mandate in the Keralam Assembly elections. Speaking to ANI here, Joseph said Vijayan's leadership style and governance issues contributed to the electoral setback.

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Vijayan's Performance and Reaction

"Definitely that will be there because he was responsible for all these things. He was the Chief Minister; he was an authoritarian leader in the party as well as the government. And in his own constituency, wherein he could win with a margin of 50,000 votes in the last election, he was trailing in several rounds. And finally he could win with a low margin," he said. "And CPM citadels were... Kannur is the CPM base. Wherein at Payyannur, Taliparamba they have lost. Criminal politics is their own arm and weapon. But that hasn't taken place this time," he added.

"As far as Pinarayi Vijayan is concerned, you know the kind of results that we saw in Kerala, it is definitely not being liked by LDF. And since the results had come Mr. Vijayan is not coming before media, he is not even talking to people. You know, it seems that he has gone into huge stress after losing," he said, adding that even traditional CPI(M) strongholds saw unexpected losses.

New Government Formation

Joseph also outlined the process for selecting the next Chief Minister, stating that the decision would be taken by the party high command after consulting elected MLAs. "There's a definite procedure for the election of the CLP leader to become Chief Minister. The members of the legislature will meet, observers will be sent by the central leadership, and the viewpoints of MLAs will be taken. The High Command will assess the entire situation and take a rational decision, which will be accepted by all," he said.

Mandate Against LDF Policies, Focus on Guarantees

Thanking voters, Joseph said the mandate reflects public dissatisfaction with the LDF government's policies. "We are thankful to the Kerala public... we were fighting against anti-people policies, price rise, unemployment, agrarian distress, man-animal conflict, political violence and criminalisation of politics. The people have accepted our views and given us a thumping majority," he said.

He added that despite extensive campaign spending by rival parties, voters backed the UDF. Joseph also credited Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge for guiding the campaign, particularly highlighting the role of the "guarantee card" promises.

On governance, Joseph said the new government would focus on financial discipline and fulfilling its commitments. "We will improve the financial position of the state, cut unnecessary expenditure and ensure proper resource mobilisation to implement all guarantees," he said.

Responding to whether he is looking for a seat in the cabinet, Joseph said, "That's up to the party to decide."

Dismissing concerns over the BJP's entry into the Assembly with three seats, Joseph said, "That will not be a criteria Kerala politics is different. We can face the BJP."

End of Decade-Long LDF Rule

Meanwhile, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has accepted Vijayan's resignation and asked him to continue as caretaker Chief Minister until a new government is sworn in, marking the end of a decade-long LDF rule in the state. (ANI)