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Thiruvananthapuram, May 11 - Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will submit his resignation Friday as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) was swept out of power by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Sticking to form - and predictions - Kerala voted in the opposition LDF Thursday to rule it for the next five years with 98 of the 140 seats in the assembly.
The Congress-led UDF got 42 seats - in keeping with Kerala's practice of the LDF and UDF alternately governing the state.
Chandy, who won his Puthupally seat for a record ninth term with his highest ever margin of 19,863 votes, said he took moral responsibility for the UDF's defeat.
Speaking to IANS over telephone from his Puthupally residence he said the defeat was unexpected.
'We lost despite having no anti-government feelings. The opposition succeeded in playing the communal card very well, especially the Muslim card.
'Anyway we will now sit down to assess what happened because this type of defeat was never expected. I take the responsibility for this. I will submit my resignation tomorrow at 12.30 pm,' added Chandy.
CPI-M state secretary Pinnarayi Vijayan said this victory for the LDF was on the cards after the series of poll victories that they had since last year.
'The people knew what to do and they did exactly that. The party politburo will meet on May 13 in Delhi, the state secretariat on May 15 and the state committee on May 16 that will decide the chief ministerial candidate. He will be from one of the CPI-M legislators,' said Vijayan on being asked if Achuthanandan would be the chief minister.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) once again failed to open its account in the southern state, something it has been desperately trying to do. This despite the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance fielding candidates in almost all the constituencies.
For the UDF, this was a humiliating drop from its 100 seats in the May 2001 polls. Several of its ministers and big leaders like R. Balakrishna Pillai, T.M. Jacob, K.R Gowriamma and P.K. Kunhalikutty were defeated.
Reacting to the victory, CPI-M veteran V.S. Achuthanandan, who will in all likelihood be chief minister, said the people of Kerala had taught the UDF a lesson for its anti-people policies.
'Since assuming power in 2001, the UDF has only been interested in selling Kerala. We, the opposition, played a significant role in bringing the wrong policies of the UDF to the notice of the people.
'We are happy that the people have given us such a mandate and we hope to fulfil the wishes of the people,' said the 82-year-old Achuthanandan, who won from Malampuzha in Palakkad district.
State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said the victory of the rivals had been made possible by the LDF's 'unholy alliance' with communal and casteist forces.
'Until now they were blaming us for allying with them. Now they have allied with parties like the Jamaat-e-Islami, Abdul Nasser Madhani's People's Democratic Party (PDP) and casteist groups. They will have to pay a heavy price for this unholy alliance,' said Chennithala.
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