CPM leader VS Achuthanandan turns 101
Legendary Communist leader and former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan, who is often hailed as the "Fidel Castro of Kerala", turned 101 on Sunday.
In a surprising move, the LDF candidate for the Palakkad bypolls, Dr P Sarin, has claimed that Congress candidate Shafi Parambil’s previous victory in the assembly elections was largely due to support from leftist voters.
Speaking to the media in Palakkad on Sunday, Sarin said that had the Left not backed Shafi in the last elections, the BJP would have emerged victorious. He further suggested that the leftist votes that previously benefited Shafi would not be available to the Congress candidate this time.
In response to Sarin’s revelations, BJP candidate C Krishnakumar said that the Left candidate’s comments indicate a deal between the CPI-M and Congress, implying involvement in vote-trading.
He added that Dr Sarin, having been a Congress leader at the time, would have been well aware of the alleged vote-trading practices. He further said that if both the CPI-M and Congress engage in vote-trading this time, it would ultimately benefit the BJP.
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Following the controversy sparked by his statement, which put the ruling CPI-M in a difficult situation, Dr Sarin later clarified that that he did not claim Congress candidate Shafi Parambil’s victory in the last assembly elections was due to the support of leftist voters. Sarin stated that he meant, “Congress candidate Shafi got the secular votes that would have otherwise been cast for the LDF.”
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