Palakkad assembly elections; debate on cross votes active

PALAKKAD: With the Left and Right Front candidates entering the campaign, the debate on cross votes in Palakkad is also heating up.

Dr P Sarin's statement that Shafi Parambil won in the last assembly elections because of Left votes is what led to the discussion. "If the Left had decided to deny Shafi last time, the BJP would have won. The Left votes that Shafi got last time will be denied this time. Shafi Parambil betrayed the political correctness of CP Pramod, the Left candidate who contested that day. CP Pramod doesn't feel any guilt about it. The Left activists are ready to settle that account," Sarin said. Sarin's response was when CP Pramod was standing next to him.

BJP candidate C Krishnakumar said the left candidate's response was proof of the CPM-Congress deal. "This is proof of vote trading. Former candidate CP Pramod was martyred by the CPM. It is being said openly that the votes were traded using their own cadres. Since Dr P Sarin was a Congress leader at the time, he was clearly aware of the trade," Krishnakumar said, adding that if the CPM and the Congress go for vote trading, both the party votes will go to the BJP. At the same time, Shafi also hit back, asking whether the CPM's problem was whether he had won or the BJP did not win.