Sunday, May 15, 2011: Senior Congress stalwart, Oommen Chandy, is likely to be sworn in as the next chief minister of Kerala as the UDF cruises to 72 seats in an assembly of 140 seats.
Chandy, who was facing competition for the top job from Ramesh Chennithala — a Nair leader from Congress, has strengthened his claim to the top job by winning by a whopping 30,000 votes.
In comparison, Chennithala was above water only by around 350 votes during most of the counting, though he won by a few thousand votes in the end. Chandy had been projected as the undisputed Chief Ministerial candidate, but was forced to defend himself after allegations of corruption were raised by the opposition left parties.
With UDF securing power with a thin majority of 72 seats in Kerala, tough administrative and organizational tasks are awaiting Congress as the lead partner in the bipolar scenario.
Running the combine within and outside the assembly will be a delicate job for Congress leaders, including Chief Ministerial probable Chandy who will have to put up with pressures from partners while offering a “stable, pro-people and development-oriented rule” as promised to voters.
The presence of CPI (M)-led LDF as a strong and vigilant opposition will be a compelling factor for the UDF to be doubly cautious in its every move in the coming days.
Though the Congress and its partners have exuded confidence that they would run the government cohesively, political observers here feel that problems might crop up right from the ministry-formation process.
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