Pathanamthitta (Keralam) [India], March 30 (ANI): Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday termed the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections as a contest between Congress-led UDF and the 'combination of the LDF and BJP.'

Addressing an election rally in Pathanamthitta, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the LDF government in Keralam is controlled by the BJP in the Centre. Backing his claim, he said that the Centre has filed no case against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as he does not fight against the BJP.

He also highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not mention the Sabrimala gold theft case in his address in Palakkad on Sunday.

Rahul Gandhi alleged a BJP-CPIM nexus in Kerala. 'BJP knows that if they are in power in Delhi, then any LDF government in Keralam is fully under their control. The first proof of this is that the people who fight the BJP get attacked and threatened by them. I myself have been attacked, and have 36 cases against me. There is no attack on the CM of Kerala by the BJP.'

'The second reason is that the PM came here yesterday. In every speech, he talks about temples and religion, but somehow, he forgot about what happened in Sabrimala. He forgot that the left front leaders took the gold of the Ayyappa temple and replaced it with brass.'

'We are fighting here in the elections against the LDF, which is completely supported by the BJP. On one side is the UDF, and on the other side is the combination of the LDF and the BJP. There is a hidden hand of the BJP in the Kerala elections, and it does not want the UDF here because they know the only force that challenges them in the country is the Congress party,' he added.

Further, the Congress leader also accused the Left government in Keralam of abandoning the Communist ideology and called it a 'corporate-funded government.'

'The truth is that Narendra Modi is compromised by Donald Trump and everyone knows it. The same way, Narendra Modi controls your Chief Minister. Pinarayi Vijayan is controlled by his corruption,' Gandhi said

'The LDF does not behave like a left front in Kerala. It is no longer a left government, but a corporate-funded government,' he said.

Gandhi has launched an intensive two-day election campaign across Keralam, covering key Assembly constituencies in the central, southern, and northern parts of the state.

The campaign began with a high-level meeting with Keralam Congress leaders in Thiruvananthapuram, setting the tone for the poll outreach before moving to ground-level engagements.

On the first day, Gandhi is scheduled to address a series of rallies and public meetings across Adoor, Pathanamthitta, and Puthuppally, where a roadshow is also planned, followed by a corner meeting at Kanjikuzhi and a rally at Athirampuzha, covering five crucial constituencies in central Kerala.

On the second day, the campaign will shift to North Keralam, where he will cover six Assembly constituencies, including roadshows with senior Congress leader KC Venugopal.

The campaign is centred around the UDF's key promises, including free bus travel for women and a monthly financial assistance of Rs 3,000 for senior citizens, which are being highlighted at each event.

The polling for Keralam Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.

Keralam has traditionally followed an alternating pattern of governance, switching between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) every five years since 1982. This trend was broken in 2021 when the LDF, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was re-elected for a second consecutive term.

While the LDF and the UDF are frontrunners in the polls, the BJP will attempt to make a mark after its historic win in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections. (ANI)