Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday said that the by-election to the Malappuram LoK Sabha seat will be a litmus test for the LDF government in the State.
“It is not a friendly fight in Malappuram but a pure political battle. Nobody in Kerala can vote for the LDF in the present situation,” Chandy told media here.
“The bypoll is a battle of political stand. P K Kunhalikutty, the UDF candidate, is a powerful contestant. No matter who is contesting in the opposition, it is the people who vote. The function of the LDF government in the State is without having a proper idea in several matters,” Chandy said.
He also said that the poll results will be ‘people’s judgement’ on the governments in the State and the Centre.
Malappuram goes to the polls on April 12.
DYFI leader M B Faizal is the CPI-M-led LDF candidate while the BJP has fielded N Sreeprakash in Malappuram.
The bypoll was necessitated following the death of IUML leader and former union minister E Ahmed.
Seventy eight-year-old Ahmed, who passed away on February 1 following cardiac arrest, had won the seat with a margin of over 1.90 lakh votes against his nearest rival in the 2014 polls.