Survey predicts clean sweep for Congress in Kerala
TRIVANDRUM: A nationwide survey commissioned by a leading media outlet, ABP News, has predicted a clean sweep for the United Democratic Front led by the principal opposition Congress party in Kerala in the upcoming national elections.
The Centre for Voting Opinion and Trends in Election Research, Cvoter, survey says the UDF will win all 20 seats from the southern state.
Both the state’s ruling Let Democratic Front (LDF), led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will draw a blank.
The New Delhi-headquartered Indian international polling agency gives 16 seats to the
Congress party and the rest to its allies.
It predicts the Indian Union Muslim League to win two seats that it contests while other allies, the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Kerala Congress, one each.
“It’s not surprising at all,” S Georgekuty, chief executive officer of Kerala-based polling agency Edupress Communications, told Gulf Today.
“Anti-incumbency factors will work for both the rival fronts while people will prefer a credible alternative. The vote share difference is also more or less on expected lines.”
The Cvoter projects the UDF to secure 44.5 per cent votes against the LDF’S 31.4 per cent, while the BJP’S National Democratic Alliance will get a vote share of 19.8 per cent.
In 2019, the UDF swept all but one seat with a vote share of 47.48, while the LDF had to contend with one seat and 32.08 per cent votes.
Kerala Congress (M), which is defending its seat in Kotayam, has since switched sides and joined the LDF.
The NDA, which managed only 14.88 per cent of votes last time, will likely improve its share sharply.
Top Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi (Wayanad), Dr Shashi Tharoor (Trivandrum) and KC Venugopal (Alappuzha) are in the fray from Kerala.
All the siting members of the Congress except TN Prathapan are in the fray.
K Muraleedharan has replaced Prathapan in Thrissur, leaving his Vadakara seat to young legislator Shafi Parambil.
The NDA is primarily concentrating on three seats where it has fielded prominent leaders: Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Trivandrum), V Muraleedharan (Thrissur) and Suresh Gopi (Thrissur).
The CPI (M) has four legislators in the fray: KK Shylaja (Vadakara), K Radhakrishnan (Alathur), M Mukesh (Kollam) and V Joy (Atingal).
“There are five to ten per cent undecided votes. But they would ultimately swing towards the winning side, which would also benefit the UDF,” Georgekuty said.