Kerala CPI-M expects to win 18 out of 20 Lok Sabha seats

After the Congress-led UDF said that it may win all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, the ruling CPI-M announced that it expects to bag as many as 18 seats and that the BJP will win none.

Barring Wayanad, where Congress President Rahul Gandhi contested, and Malappuram, the Left Democratic Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) expects to win all other seats.

Speaking to the media soon after a meeting of the CPI-M leadership, party Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said their detailed analyses of the April 23 polling showed that the Left was set for a landslide.

"Even while the BJP and Congress traded votes, in at least five constituencies, we have been able to overcome that. One reason why we are confident is that while the majority community vote has gone to all three fronts, we have got good support from the minority communities, just like it happened when we won 18 seats in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls," said Balakrishnan.

"A brief analysis into previous polls clearly points out that when the BJP polls more votes, the Left benefits. In 2004, the BJP got 12 per cent votes and we got 18 seats. In 2009 when the BJP secured 6.5 per cent, we got less seats (4). This time while it is certain that BJP won't win any seats, they will get a higher vote share and it will help us," he added.

Balakrishnan said that Rahul Gandhi's impact was limited to Wayanad.

"Rahul was not a factor at all in Kerala and the BJP is not going to win any seat," he said.

Kerala recorded 77.68 per cent polling, up from 74.02 per cent in 2014.

State Congress chief Mullapally Ramachandran, for a second day in succession, slammed the CPI-M and said he will quit politics if it is proved that there was a secret deal between his party and the BJP.

"What has happened in this elections is that the people of the state including a good number of the Communists have voted for us as the arrogance and rude behaviour of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has crossed all limits," he said.

--IANS

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