Kerala: Candidates list a generational change in Cong, says Chennithala

Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday termed the candidate list of Congress for Kerala Assembly polls "a revolution" as Congress has given "46 out of 92 seats in Kerala to new faces" aiding "a generational change".

"The list of Kerala candidates which has been released today is really a revolution. It is a generational change that has taken place in Kerala," said Chennithala.

"We had taken a bold initiative for giving 46 out of 92 seats in Kerala to new faces and young people. So never before in the history of the state, Congress witnessed this kind of generational change. It will definitely strengthen UDF and will turn the table in favour of Congress," the Congress leader said.

On behalf of the Congress party in Kerala, Chennithala expressed gratitude to Rahul Gandhi for his "direction and leadership" adding that "I think Congress in Kerala will come back to power under his leadership".

"In Nemom UDF is going to win, We have assigned former PCC president to contest from Nemom with a determination to fight BJP in their own territory, this shows our commitment to secularism and in our fight against BJP," he said.

Nemom constituency has become a focal point of the state assembly polls, with all three fronts betting huge for a victory on the lone seat that BJP managed to win in the 2016 Assembly polls.

On Congress leader Lathika Subhash's response after denial of ticket to her, he said, "She is our sister, I don't know why she has done that. We tried to accommodate all our important leaders. She was only asking for one seat in Ettumanoor which is always contested by Kerala Congress. We tried our best to get that seat from our coalition partner, but our efforts did not materialise. I am very sad about that."

Congress leader Lathika Subhash on Sunday got her head tonsured at the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) headquarters here after being denied a ticket for the upcoming Kerala assembly elections.

She also announced her resignation from the post of Mahila Congress president as a protest against the Congress ignoring women candidates in the Assembly polls.

Asked about Congress' promises, he said, "Congress will offer corruption-free government. UDF will offer a transparent government to the people of Kerala. Other promises will be conveyed in our election manifesto".

The election for the 140-member Kerala Assembly in 14 districts will be held in a single phase on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.