Kerala Assembly polls 2026: fight in Kerala between UDF and BJP-LDF partnership, claims Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has alleged that only two parties are fighting the upcoming Assembly election in Kerala: the United Democratic Front (UDF), and the partnership between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).

He was addressing a public rally organised by the UDF on the Kozhikode beach here on Wednesday evening through online mode. Though Mr. Gandhi was supposed to attend the event, he could not make it because his mother, Sonia Gandhi, has been hospitalised in Delhi.

The Congress leader claimed that while the UDF unites people, listens to them and embraces and empowers them, the LDF and “their hidden partner” divide the people and “crush their dreams”. Mr. Gandhi said that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised two crore jobs at the national level, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan promised 40 lakh jobs. “After a decade, you find that they have not created any jobs, but destroyed them… Neither the BJP nor the LDF believe that they are answerable to the people of Kerala… They don’t believe that the people have a right to ask questions. Policies of the BJP and the CPI(M) can’t be separated from each other,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Gandhi alleged that the BJP not targeting Mr. Vijayan, against whom corruption charges had been levelled, was a proof of the collusion between the LDF and that party.

Sabarimala gold theft

“Why the corruption cases against the Chief Minister are not going anywhere?” Mr. Gandhi asked, and claimed that the CPI(M) had not even left the Sabarimala Temple. “They have stolen kilos of gold and multiple CPI(M) leaders have been arrested. How can a government that does not respect Lord Ayyappa respect the people of Kerala?” he asked.

Mr. Gandhi also spoke about the “Indira guarantees” that the UDF has promised to fulfil if it is voted to power. They include free ride in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses for women, ₹1,000 a month as financial support for college-going girls, hike in welfare pension to ₹3,000, a health insurance scheme named after the former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with an annual coverage of ₹25 lakh per family, interest-free loans of up to ₹5 lakh for the youth, and a special department for senior citizens. He claimed that the Congress had been able to implement such schemes in Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh. Mr. Gandhi also spoke about how a nurse from Kerala had been attending to her mother at the Delhi hospital, even forgoing sleep during her duty.

Earlier, opening the event, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that what can the people expect from the LDF government which did not even “spare God”. “They have stolen gold from the Sabarimala Temple. Instead of punishing the culprits, the government is giving them a chance to come out of jail,” he alleged.

Mr. Kharge also raised the allegation related to a “secret understanding” between the CPI(M) and the BJP. “People here are saying that it has a name, the Communist Janata Party.” He claimed that the NDA knows that they cannot win in Kerala. “So, the BJP is fielding weak candidates to help the LDF. They are not trying to win, but trying to help the LDF win. Every vote for the BJP is a vote gifted to the LDF,” Mr. Kharge said.

‘BJP alien to Kerala’

He also claimed that the “BJP does not understand Keralam”. “It is alien to this land, its history, and its values…The LDF claims to be secular, but it is trying to protect the agenda of the BJP,” he said.

The Congress leader also picked holes in the LDF’s development initiatives alleging that instead of more milk booths, they had increased the number of wine shops. “The State’s debt is approaching Rs. 6 lakh crore. There is a burden of Rs. 1.7 lakh on every single Malayali. Keralam now has the highest number of drug cases after Punjab. Keralam has become the second capital of drug. Public health sector is in ruins, hospital infrastructure is crumbling. There is a shortage of medicine, equipment, and staffing,” he said.