LDF to begin seat-sharing talks for Assembly elections soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Seat-sharing talks of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) for the upcoming Assembly elections will begin soon. The first round of discussions will be held with the CPI, followed by talks with other allies. Any demands for changes in the current seat allocation will also be discussed. The LDF will take a final decision based on the suggestions that emerge from these talks.

At a meeting held on Monday, the LDF assessed that the development outreach marches were a major success. The meeting observed that after the setback in the local body elections, the front was able to effectively communicate the Left government's development activities to the people. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said there was no discussion within the party that the marches were a failure.

Kerala Congress chairman Jose K. Mani said the central region development march was politically beneficial for both the Left Front and Kerala Congress. The house visit programme was also described as highly successful.

The sub-committee to prepare the election manifesto for the Assembly polls will be decided next week. Each constituent party will have one representative in the committee. M V Govindan did not attend the meeting on Monday as he was busy with the march in his constituency. Politburo member A Vijayaraghavan, who has been asked to focus on election activities in Kerala, attended the meeting.

Will take stand favourable to believers in women's entry issue: T P Ramakrishnan
Meanwhile, LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan said the government will take a stand in court on the Sabarimala women’s entry issue that is favourable to believers. When asked whether the existing affidavit would be changed, he replied that there is still time to decide on that matter.

He also alleged that the stance of the UDF on the Sabarimala gold theft issue is misleading and harmful to believers. He said it is for the special investigation team and the court to examine whether the Tantri getting bail after arrest was appropriate. According to him, both the Congress and the BJP supported the Tantri after his arrest. He added that although the health sector has achieved notable progress, there have been isolated medical lapses, and the government has tried to investigate them rather than cover them up. He also said the opposition should stop attacking Health Minister Veena George.

Ramakrishnan further said that after the release of the final SIR list, many eligible people were left out, while some ineligible names were included. He noted that no party in the front has so far demanded more seats for the Assembly elections and suggested that socialist parties in the alliance should unite if possible.