LDF votes shifted to UDF in Kerala's Manjeswar to defeat BJP, claims INL leader

A senior INL leader on Sunday claimed that LDF votes were shifted to UDF in Manjeswar constituency in northern Kasaragod district in the just concluded Assembly polls to prevent the BJP from winning and to uphold secularism.

A senior INL leader on Sunday claimed that LDF votes were shifted to UDF in Manjeswar constituency in northern Kasaragod district in the just concluded Assembly polls to prevent the BJP from winning and to uphold secularism. Indian National League (INL) general secretary Kasim Irikkur made the claim while speaking to a TV channel. The Indian National League (INL) is a constituent of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which suffered a heavy defeat in the Assembly polls. Claiming that the LDF deliberately transferred votes to the UDF in Manjeswar, Irikkur said the Left candidate lost his deposit not because of a lack of votes, but because LDF supporters voted for the UDF candidate to defeat BJP leader K Surendran. Irikkur further said that defeating the BJP was the priority of the LDF in Manjeswar, as there was a strong possibility of Surendran winning the seat. However, this did not happen in constituencies where the contest was between the LDF and the BJP, he alleged, adding that the BJP won three seats because of the UDF's non-cooperation. ''This was done to ensure that K Surendran should not enter the Assembly. Would Congress workers similarly transfer their votes to defeat the BJP? They would not do that,'' he said while speaking to a Malayalam TV channel. In Manjeswar, UDF candidate A K M Ashraf won by a margin of 29,252 votes, defeating BJP's former state president K Surendran. The LDF candidate, K R Jayananda, had to settle for a third position. Irikkur's remarks came days after Surendran levelled deal allegations against the LDF and the UDF in Manjeswar to defeat him in the Assembly polls.