"UDF will get a landslide victory in Kerala": Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], April 27 : After the conclusion of the second phase of Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has said that the UDF (United Democratic Front) will register a landslide victory in Kerala.
Speaking to ANI, Ramesh Chennithala said, "Second phase of election is over. UDF is confident of winning all the seats in Kerala. Last time, we got 19 out of 20 seats. This time, I feel UDF will get a landslide victory in Kerala."
Chennithala also said that the people of Kerala are totally against the state and central governments. "They are fed up with Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan and it will result in favour of UDF," he said.
Expressing his views on low voting percentage, Chennithala said that the postal votes and other votes of people above 80 years old have not yet been counted. "With the counting of postal votes, the percentage will increase... Most of the places had faulty voting machines that had to be replaced and people had to wait for hours... Temperature was very high, so many people went back without voting. This is one of the reasons for low voting," he added.
On Bharatiya Janata Party leader Prakash Javadekar's meeting with ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener EP Jayarajan, Chennithala said, "There is a clear understanding between BJP and CPM. They are colluded and are together... Now, it's very clear after the revelations by EP Jayarajan that he met Prakash Javadekar. Real culprit is the chief minister (Pinarayi Vijayan). EP Jayaram will never meet without CM's assent."
Meanwhile, the Congress leader also reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment on Supreme Court's order of rejecting all the petitions seeking 100 per cent verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) votes with their Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips. Chennithala said, "The Supreme Court is the highest court of India. We have to accept the verdict. It is not a slap on anybody's face. It is their decision and we are fighting for a clear and transparent election in the country and will continue to fight."
PM Modi on Friday attacked the INDIA bloc over the Supreme Court decision rejecting the plea for 100 per cent VVPAT verification of EVM votes and said every leader of the opposition grouping has "committed the sin" of creating doubts in the minds of people about Electronic Voting Machine and "their dreams have been shattered".
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Congress leader KC Venugopal also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of '400 paar' has faced a setback after the conclusion of two phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha election.
Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, KC Venugopal said, "PM Narendra Modi's '400 paar' hype has been crushed to the ground after the first and second phase of elections. The INDIA alliance is definitely going to win this time. PM Modi's speech during the campaign has been an attempt to polarise the elections. Congress is very confident about winning with a high majority in Rajasthan, Bihar, and other states."
Venugopal also raised the issue of delay in the functioning of EVMs at multiple polling booths in Kerala. He also claimed that "election machinery in the state was hijacked by the ruling CPI government in the state".
"90 per cent booths that experienced a delay in voting were of the UDF. The election machinery was hijacked by the left. There were also cases of double votes. Even after so much time in preparation for elections, EVMs were not functioning. The party will analyse all the problems that had to be faced in the booths," he said.
Voting for the 20 constituencies in Kerala was held in a single phase on Friday. The voting percentage in the state was recorded at 70.21 per cent.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 19 out of 20 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Kerala. While the Congress won 15 seats, its allies Indian Union Muslim League, won two seats, the Revolutionary Socialist Party won one, and the Kerala Congress (M) won one seat. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) won only one seat.