The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) seeks to counter Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s mass contact programme in November/December by organising a high-profile political boycott of the campaign. It will also turn its back on Keraleeyam-2023, a week-long festival in November to showcase Kerala’s achievements and potential.
The UDF leadership will work on the modalities. It plans to mobilise the Opposition’s organisational machinery from the block level and upwards to organise a counter-campaign to rob the government’s public outreach of its sheen and put the Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration under a harsh spotlight.
The UDF is acutely mindful that the ruling LDF had thrown its organisational might behind the government’s bid to till the electoral field for the looming Lok Sabha and Local body elections. Moreover, the estimation that traditional LDF voters had defected in sizeable numbers to the Congress in the Puthuppally byelection has helped lift the glumness that had descended on the Opposition after being cast out of power for two consecutive Assembly terms.
