Kerala CM flaunts reshuffle card to win support for UDF

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has sought to win support of all sections for the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) headed by his party in the Lok Sabha election by indicating a reshuffle in his government after the elections.

He stated this while addressing a Meet-the-Press Programme organised by the Trivandrum Press Club here on Thursday. He said he will make the changes in the cabinet after discussions with the UDF partners and his party high command.

The statement is viewed mainly as part of an effort to placate Kerala Congress (B), which was keeping off active campaign. This was mainly because of the uncertainty over re-induction of party nominee K B Ganesh Kumar into the cabinet.

He had quit the ministry in April last year following domestic violence complaints. The KC (B) had announced its decision severe its links with the Congress after the last reshuffle in which Ramesh Chennithala was inducted into the cabinet as home minister.

Chandy’s statement came following discussions he had with KC (B) leader R Balakrishna Pillai and his actor-turned politician, who served as minister for forest before his exit from the cabinet. The chief minister refused to divulge the details of the talks.

Political observers also view Chandy’s statement as a signal to the fence sitters in the opposition Left Democratic Front and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (B), which has quit the LDF and joined the UDF following denial of seat by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Ramesh, who headed the state unit of the party before V M Sudheeran took over the helms, had claimed that more parties would join the ruling front. In fact, a section in the state unit of the Nationalist Congress Party Kerala unit of NCP, a long time partner of the LDF, had made a move to quit the opposition coalition over rejection of a Lok Sabha seat.

However, the move has been put off till the elections by party chief and Maharashtra supremo Sharad Pawar, who said it would not be proper for the party to quit the front after the commencement of the election process.

IANS adds: With no anti-incumbency factor visible in Kerala, the problem-ridden LDF, a coalition of opposition parties in the southern state, will vanish after the polls, a senior state Congress minister said on Thursday.

Addressing reporters here at an election-related programme organised by the Trivandrum Press Club, Home Minister and former state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) is going through its worst times.

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