Ernakulam : Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (LoP) and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleged the presence of a "hidden hand" influencing the Keralam Assembly elections, claiming a tacit understanding between the BJP, RSS and the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Addressing a public gathering in Ernakulam today, Gandhi said the electoral contest may appear to be between the LDF and the United Democratic Front (LDF), but deeper forces were at play. "It seems that this election is taking place between the LDF and the UDF, but there is a hidden hand in this election. There is a partnership between the BJP, the RSS, and the LDF. It's obvious to everybody," he said.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi questioned his silence on the alleged Sabarimala temple gold controversy. "Chief Minister has full access to the Prime Minister, to the Home Minister. But the biggest proof is the Prime Minister himself. His entire career has been built on religion, temple and gods. Wherever he goes, he makes some comment about god, temple, or religion. It's a combination: god, temple, religion, and at the same time, hatred. But what's interesting is he's come to Kerala, and he hasn't mentioned god, temple or religion," he said.
Alleging corruption within the LDF, Gandhi added, "The biggest crime has been committed against the Sabarimala temple, against Ayyappa-ji. CPM leaders have stolen gold from the temple and replaced it with brass. And the Prime Minister has nothing to say about this? Not one word? Normally, he would be giving long speeches about this, but in Kerala, not one word?"
The Congress leader further claimed that the BJP prefers the LDF in power as it does not pose a national challenge. "Because he wants the LDF to win. Because he knows LDF can never be a threat to the BJP. UDF and the Congress party are the real threat to the BJP and the RSS," Gandhi asserted.
He also accused the BJP and RSS of targeting opposition voices and minorities, citing cases against himself. "There have been 36 cases against me; they cancelled my government accommodation, they revoked my Lok Sabha membership, I am out on bail, and the ED interrogated me for 55 hours," he said.
Notably, the main political contest in Keralam has always remained between the Left Democratic Front and UDF, wherein both have returned to power one after another in elections; however, the trend was broken in 2021, when LDF was voted to power once again. However, this time, with a three-way fight, the NDA have their prospects high with the recent successes of winning their first ever Lok Sabha seat in the name of Thrissur in 2024, whereas on the other hand, the party was able to secure victory in the Thiruvananthapuram local body polls.
The Left Democratic Front, which is led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) include other key parties, including Keralam Congress (M), Rashtriya Janata Dal and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). On the other hand, the UDF bloc consists of the Indian National Congress, Keralam Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League.
The National Democratic Alliance, led by Bharatiya Janata Party, also feature few relevant state parties, including the Twenty 20 Party, Bharath Dharma Jana Sena and Kerala Kamaraj Congress. Polling for the 2026 Keralam Legislative Assembly elections will be held on April 9, with the counting of votes on May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23.