Confident of the United Democratic Front (UDF) returning to power in Kerala, the Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader VD Satheesan has said he will quit politics if he fails to lead the alliance to victory in the upcoming Assembly elections.
In an exclusive interview to The News Minute, Satheesan said he was willing to stake his political future on the election outcome. “If I am not able to bring UDF back to power, I will retire from politics. I will go for political exile,” he said, adding that any poll debacle for the alliance would be his personal failure.
Satheesan, who is contesting from the Paravur constituency in Ernakulam district, expressed confidence that the UDF would secure a decisive mandate, predicting the alliance would win more than 100 seats in the 140-member Assembly. In the previous election, the Left Democratic Front had won 99 seats, returning to power for a second consecutive term.
He also clarified that the Congress has not projected a Chief Ministerial candidate and would take a decision only after the election results.
Taking a swipe at Vijayan, Satheesan said the Chief Minister had earlier invited him for a public debate but backed out after he accepted the challenge. “He said we can debate on Facebook,” Satheesan added.
The Kerala Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in a single phase, with polling set for April 26 and counting of votes on May 2. The contest is primarily between the ruling LDF, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and the Congress-led UDF.