Rajeev Chandrasekhar claims Kerala polls fight will be between UDF-NDA

Thiruvananthapuram: BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the forthcoming Kerala Assembly election would be a direct contest between the UDF and the NDA, asserting that the LDF had no chance of returning to power.

Speaking at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, Chandrasekhar said voters would not re-elect an LDF government, which he accused of having damaged the state over the past decade. He said the people of Kerala effectively had only two political choices, the UDF, comprising the Congress, Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami, and the NDA, which includes the BJP, BDJS and Twenty20, and that the electorate would decide between them.

He alleged that the Congress had failed to function as an effective Opposition during the last 10 years and claimed there was an understanding between the Congress and the CPM to jointly hold the Centre responsible for the state’s problems. Referring to the 2026–27 state budget, he said it was full of promises that had remained unfulfilled despite the LDF being in power for a decade, TNIE reported.

Chandrasekhar further claimed that Kerala had experienced 10 years of economic decline under LDF rule, which he compared to what he described as the economic weakening under the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. He said that out of every ₹100 the state receives as revenue, ₹92 is spent on debt servicing and pensions, leaving only a small portion for development activities. He also alleged that Kerala’s economy had been turned into a Ponzi-like system, with funds meant for one project being diverted to others.

He added that, in contrast, the Union government borrows funds to invest in ways that support economic growth.