THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The huge victory of the UDF in the state trouncing the Left Front by a margin of 19-1 seems to be surprisingly owing to the consolidation of minority and majority votes in favour of the front, obviously for different reasons.
While the candidature of Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad, who was projected as the Prime Minister candidate of the UPA, led to the minority consolidation in favour of the UDF and the Congress, the Sabarimala issue was considered one of the major factors which led to the majority consolidation.
Surprisingly, the Congress reaped the benefits of the Sabarimala issue in which the BJP was vociferous and fought it out on the streets resulting in several party workers being jailed.
However, the BJP could not get any seats in the state even after all the struggles it had undertaken for the cause.
The Congress stand all through the issue was that the party has always been with the devotees and that the UDF Government led by Oommen Chandy had given an affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing the entry of women in Sabarimala.
KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran while speaking to Express said, “I am jubilant and the party has done exceedingly well and this victory is against the arrogance of the Chief Minister and the anti-people policies of the LDF Government. Pinarayi Vijayan should put in his papers taking responsibility for this huge drubbing the people have given the Left Front.”