Rahul Gandhi to lead Kerala Assembly poll campaign: Chennithala

Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and party's Campaign Committee Chairman, Ramesh Chennithala, said on Monday that Rahul Gandhi will play an active and decisive role in the United Democratic Front's (UDF) campaign for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.

The Election Commission officials from Delhi are reaching the state capital city and would be here for two days next week.

Addressing the media at the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, Chennithala, soon after chairing the first committee meeting, said that detailed plans are being drawn up for Rahul Gandhi's campaign programmes across the state.

He added that the yatra led by Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has drawn unprecedented crowds, evolving into a major political mobilisation reflecting "prevailing public sentiment" against the state government.

Rahul Gandhi has been formally invited to attend the concluding function of the yatra in Thiruvananthapuram on March 7, and the party expects his presence.

Highlighting the UDF's electoral record, Chennithala said the front, despite being out of power for a decade, has secured successive victories by uniting its cadre across Kerala.

The UDF won all Assembly by-elections except Chelakkara, captured 18 of 20 Lok Sabha seats in the Parliamentary polls, and registered a sweeping performance in the recent panchayat elections.

He alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had failed to acknowledge these victories in keeping with democratic conventions.

Instead, Chennithala accused the Kerala-led LDF government of spending crores from the public exchequer on "misleading propaganda" to project an image of confidence.

He reiterated his earlier charge that Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board funds raised through high-interest borrowings meant for infrastructure development were being diverted for advertisement campaigns and politically driven publicity.

Calling for accountability, he warned that a future UDF government would probe any misuse of public funds and ensure that responsibility is fixed.

With the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections approaching, the Congress appears set to combine a high-decibel campaign anchored by Rahul Gandhi with sustained attacks on the state government's financial and governance record, framing the contest as a battle between "people's mandate" and what it terms "state-sponsored propaganda".