LS polls: Defeat was "unexpected," says Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapuram: Hours after the poll trends indicated massive rout of the ruling-LDF in the Lok Sabha polls in Kerala, Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the defeat was “unexpected” even as the Congress demanded his resignation on moral grounds.

Vijayan, who issued a release instead of meeting the media after the setback, said his party would examine in detail the factors which led to the dismal performance.

“It was the political stand taken by the LDF that resulted in BJP failing to get any seats in the state.

The opposition of the people of the state to the BJP government at the Centre has become favourable for the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls in the state,” the Chief Minister said, adding his party would examine in detail how the anti-BJP mood helped the Congress.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who led the party to an impressive win in the state despite being defeated in rest of the country said Vijayan was the Gorbachev of Indian communist party.

“He (Pinarayi) is the Gorbachev of Indian communist party. He and the Kerala unit of the party played a role in not having a national secular democratic front as envisaged by Yechuri,” he said adding Vijayan should resign on moral grounds.

Chennithala told PTI that Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Wayanad was a mjor reason for UDF’s stellar performance.

He also said people here were against Narendra Modi and were angered over Vijayan’s alleged misrule.

United Democratic Front (UDF) is leading in 19 of the 20 seats with LDF struggled to bag only the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency.

AICC chief Gandhi, who contested from the hilly constituency of Wayanad became the top scorer in the UDF camp with a lead of 4,31,195 votes.