Situation favourable for UDF in Piravom, says Pillai

Saturday, March 03, 2012: Kerala Congress (B) leader and former Minister R Balakrishna Pillai today opined that the situation was favourable for the UDF for the upcoming by-election to the Piravom Assembly constituency scheduled on March 17.
Addressing the presspersons here on Saturday, Pillai added that the UDF was optimistic and fully confident of winning the Piravom by-poll.
The by-poll will be the first major trial for the Congress ministry after it rode to power with a wafer-thin margin of 72 seats in the 140-member house in May last year.
The election was necessitated following the death of Kerala Congress (J) leader T M Jacob, who was food minister in the Chandy cabinet. Jacob’s death in October had reduced the elected strength of the UDF in the assembly to 71, including the Speaker, against 68 seats held by the CPI(M)-led LDF opposition.