Kerala Assembly polls 2026 | UDF united and ready for polls: Ramesh Chennithala

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday said the United Democratic Front (UDF) is fully prepared to face the upcoming Assembly election and that a change of government is inevitable.

“The UDF remains united and election-ready,” he said dismissing concerns about delays in candidate selection. Addressing mediapersons in Guruvayur, he noted that the election notification was expected earlier and that the slight delay in finalising candidates was mainly due to the late announcement of the poll schedule.

“The decision on whether Members of Parliaments will contest the Assembly election is taken by the party high command.” He also said a decision regarding former Minister G. Sudhakaran would be taken soon after consultations within the UDF alliance.

LDF misleading public

Mr. Chennithala maintained that the UDF approaches the election with confidence but sans overconfidence. He accused the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government of attempting to mislead the public through a series of decisions taken in the final cabinet meetings. “Look at the decisions taken in the last cabinet meetings. They are not meant to be implemented but to deceive the people,” Mr. Chennithala said. “Many of these decisions were not taken during the past ten years, but suddenly appeared in the final two cabinet meetings.”

He also criticised the government for distributing land titles and issuing extensive advertisements in newspapers as the election approaches. “Two and three pages of advertisements are appearing in newspapers. But the people of Keralam will not fall for these tactics,” the leaders said.

He claimed that the CPI(M) is currently facing its worst internal crisis in the state. “The party is experiencing a massive collapse. Leaders are leaving the party, and many prominent figures are openly taking positions against it,” they alleged.

They further accused the government of failing to maintain law and order in the state. “Law and order has completely collapsed in Kerala. There is no one to question or control the situation. Goons and anti-social elements are roaming freely across the state,” they said.