"People of Lakshadweep are fed up with present regime": Congress candidate Sayeed hopes to win LS polls

By Sahil Pandey
Androth (Lakshadweep) [India], April 9 : Congress leader and candidate from Lakshadweep, Muhammed Hamdullah Sayeed, has claimed that there is "strong resentment" against the policies and inaction of incumbent MP Mohammed Faizal of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Speaking to ANI, the former MP said, "Today the people of Lakshadweep are fed up with the present regime and with the present MP. There's a very strong resentment against the policies and against the inaction of the MP."
Sayeed pointed out that Lakshadweep has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and that is one of the major issues for the island.
"When it comes to unemployment, it's one of the highest in the country. Lakshadweep earlier ranked 43rd in terms of unemployment. But today, it has overtaken all of it and it has ranked as number one in unemployment. This is the inaction of the MP and the failure on the part of the MP to take it up with the present regime and with the present administration," the former MP said.
He also recalled the Public Private Partnership (PPP) health model, which was started during his stint as an MP and criticised the administration for discontinuing it.
"The infrastructure provided then has been discontinued and it has caused lots of inconvenience because travelling from island to island is a herculean task, so the discontinuation of the PPP model has really backtracked the health sector," Sayeed claims.
He also demanded that the Kerala board should also be included as an option for students in Lakshadweep.
Regarding the anti-incumbency factor with incumbent MP Faizal, Sayeed said, "People are going to rethink. Things have become worse; people don't have employment, and they are not able to fetch good prices for their crops. Fishermen do not have a good market for their fishing. There are not enough private schools or institutions so the options are limited. These are some of the few factors that will contribute to anti-incumbency. Promises made by MP are not fulfilled."
He also stressed that tourism is one of the major areas where the island can generate employment.
"We want our youth to get employment through tourism; we want revenue generation through tourism; we also want to maintain our culture, tradition and ecology," he added.
Earlier, incumbent MP Mohammed Faizal had affirmed confidence that the anti-incumbency factor would not have an impact on the coral islands of Lakshwadeep.
"Anti-incumbency is always a fact but when it comes to an island -- it is a place that is very small. Nearly less than 50,000 people are enlisted for voting. From there, around 45,000 people may cast a vote...When we are connected to each other, the anti-incumbency doesn't come up here. So, anti-incumbency does not affect this coral island," he said.
He also said that the change in the Nationalist Congress Party's symbol after the party got split into two factions, will not have any impact on the Lakshwadeep election as the public remembers his 'face'.
"In Lakshadweep, the symbol on which I was contesting for the last two terms has now gone to another person. But that doesn't affect the electoral battle here. People remember my face," he told ANI.
Notably, Faizal contested from Lakshadweep under the NCP symbol of 'clock'. But, after the split in the party by his nephew Ajit Pawar, the symbol allotted to Sharad Pawar's faction (Sharadchandra Pawar) is a 'Man blowing turha' (trumpet).
Sayeed was the MP from Lakshadweep in the 15th Lok Sabha (2014-19).
In the 2019 elections, NCP's PP Mohammed Faizal emerged victorious by getting 22851 votes. Sayeed lost by a narrow margin of 823 votes and secured 22, 028 votes.
Lakshadweep is the country's smallest Lok Sabha constituency, in terms of the number of voters. It sends only one MP to Parliament. The UT will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.
Meanwhile, Lakshadweep will witness a triangular fight between the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), Congress, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP supported by the BJP.