LDF all set with a welfare, growth oriented poll manifesto

The LDF has released their election manifesto featuring a welfare pension of Rs 2500, a pension for homemakers and assurance to protect the religious faith of all communities. As actor Suresh Gopi has been nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha, there is a hitch for him to contest on the Lotus symbol. The symbol would also be a problem for P J Joseph, whose faction has merged with P C Thomas’s Kerala Congress.

Thiruvananthapuram:The Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the State has repeated the usual practice of first releasing the election manifesto and the candidate list. The LDF has released the poll manifesto claiming it to be one that can rise up to the hopes of the people who look for a second term of the Left government. The Left’s manifesto, which focuses on the development and social welfare, has given priority to providing employment to the educated youth - 40 lakh fresh job vacancies to be created, and increasing the income of those associated with the agricultural sector by 50 per cent.

The two-part manifesto has listed 50 programmes and 900 directions for the next term. The Left which is confident of returning to power has promised the people a vast range of welfare schemes and development projects.

Read: LDF releases manifesto; Assures pension to all housewives

Constructing 1.5 lakh houses in the next year, the welfare pension of Rs 1600 would be gradually raised to Rs 2500 in 5 years, a special pension for homemakers, Rs 5000 crore package for the development of the coastal region, credit facilitation for poverty eradication, increasing the floor price of rubber to Rs 250 in a phased manner, assurance to protect the religious belief of all communities and a special project to prevent power scarcity until 2040 are the key points in the LDF manifesto released on Friday.

The list of candidates has finally been finalised by all alliances as the last date for filing nomination for the Assembly elections has ended on Friday. The allies with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) announced separate candidates and filed nominations at Poonjar and Ettumanoor constituencies leading to confusions within the BJP-led Front.

Finally, a consensus was arrived at ending confusions and arguments; the BJP candidate would contest from Ettumanoor and the BDJS candidate would contest from Poonjar constituency, it was decided.

Read: Kerala: Thrissur to witness a triangular battle

Meanwhile, it is not yet clear whether actor Suresh Gopi, the BJP candidate at Thrissur constituency, would be able to contest on his party’s symbol, the lotus flower. It is being hinted that as Suresh Gopi is a member of the Rajya Sabha as nominated by the President of India, it is not possible for him to use the party’s symbol while contesting to the Assembly.

The symbol is also a problem for UDF leader P J Joseph and his party’s candidates as his faction had merged with the P.C. Thomas faction of the Kerala Congress. Joseph is trying to finalise one of the symbols of a tractor or that of a coconut grove.

To avoid the possibility of being rejected, MLA Joseph and another MLA from his party Mons Joseph resigned from their positions as legislators, before filing the nomination papers.

Former AICC member P C Chacko, who had quit the Congress in protest against candidate selections, continues to raise strong allegations against the State Congress leadership.

P C Chacko, who is associating with the LDF now, has alleged that there is no internal democracy left in Congress. The seats were being allotted to the leadership’s favourites, he said.

The Congress leadership was shocked to realise that a rebel candidate is to contest opposite Ramesh Chennithala, at the Haripad constituency. Niyas Bharathi, the rebel candidate at Harippad, stated that his candidature is a fight against injustice and inequality in the UDF’s candidate list. Niyas Bharathi is the former state vice president of the Youth Congress and a KPCC executive board member.

Read:Vijayan-led LDF will get second term in office: MA Baby