Kerala Assembly polls 2026: CM Pinarayi Vijayan dismisses rebel threat

Dismissing the threat posed by Communist Party of India(M) [CPI(M)] rebels running as United Democratic Front (UDF) candidates in the Assembly elections, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asserted that voters across all constituencies will reject renegades.

Addressing the media in Kanjirappally on Wednesday (March 25), Mr. Vijayan said T.K. Govindan’s exit from the party has not triggered any crisis in the CPI(M) or Left Democratic Front (LDF). He also refuted Mr. Govindan’s claim that CPI (M) State secretary M V. Govindan had announced his wife P.K. Shyamala’s candidacy without the knowledge of the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister also accused the Opposition of disseminating falsehoods through various agencies. “The Opposition relies on misinformation as it lacks a factual basis. It has failed to critique the government’s initiatives effectively. Typically, the Opposition could leverage no-confidence motions against the government, yet this option remains unused, ” Mr. Vijayan said.

He also criticised the UDF, claiming that bribery is ingrained in its culture. “A person facing seat scam allegations in Haryana is criticising the Kerala government, which has the least corruption and makes decisions in the people’s interest,” Mr. Vijayan pointed out, in response to K.C. Venugopal’s allegations regarding the operating hours of bars.

The Chief Minister also highlighted the revival of public sector units such as Kerala Paper Products Ltd (KPPL), initiatives taken to address the wild-animal conflicts in high range areas, and hike in the support prices of natural rubber by the government.

“The State government took over and revived KPPL, which the Union government was planning to sell. Similarly, BHEL EML was also reorganised as KEL EML and made operational. At a time when it is common for public sector companies to be sold in the country, Kerala has created a model of saving them and bringing them to profitability,” he said.

“The support price of rubber has been increased from ₹180 to ₹200 per kg. Kerala is the only State in the country that provides support price to rubber farmers. In addition, Kerala Rubber Limited is being set up in Vellore at a cost of ₹1,050 crore to develop an industrial hub for rubber-based value-added products. The project is progressing on 164 acres. The formation of a special directorate for the plantation sector is another intervention of this government,” he said.