THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Contrary to claims by the CPM leadership of vote trading between the BJP and Congress in the by-election, a report submitted in the CPI state executive on Tuesday reported that no such vote transaction was observed in Puthuppally. CPM state secretary M V Govindan had recently suggested that Chandy Oommen cannot win without BJP’s support, indicating an upset victory if there was no transaction of votes between the two parties.
According to the report presented by the Kottayam district committee at the state executive, “The LDF put up a strong competition in the by-election. Initially, despite the UDF’s belief that they would win based on sympathy, the LDF turned it into a political battle. By raising political issues during the election campaign, the LDF successfully transformed it into a political contest.”
The report also commended the CPM for its effective campaign and mobilisation of party workers. It mentioned that CPI ministers and MLA actively participated in election activities in Puthuppally. However, the report highlighted some criticism regarding factionalism within Palakkad district committee and certain actions of Pattambi MLA Muhammed Muhsin.