UDF will decide its Chief Minister after April 6 polls: A K Antony

Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran Congress leader and former Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said the party-led United Democratic Front (UDF) would decide its Chief Minister after the April 6 Assembly polls.

No assurance had been given to anyone regarding the top post and an unanimous decision would be taken in this regard post elections, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) member said here on a television channel.

"The UDF will take a decision on its chief minister after the Assembly elections. An unanimous decision will emerge then," Antony said. The veteran leader's reaction assumes significance in the wake of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy being entrusted with the task of leading the Congress-led opposition front in the crucial assembly polls by the party high command recently.

A 10-member Election Management and Strategy committee, with Chandy as its Chairman, had been approved by Congress President Sonia Gandhi in January.

Speculations were high when Chandy was projected as the face of the party and front though senior leader Ramesh Chennithala had been leading it in the state Assembly in the last five years as the leader of opposition.

However, the party leadership had set aside all rumours and said its present focus was on ensuring the UDF's victory in the polls and any other decision would be taken after the elections.

When asked about his political plans, Antony said he had already ended electoral politics in 2004 and would put an end to parliamentary politics by 2022 with the completion of his Rajya Sabha tenure.

Unleashing a scathing attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Congress leader said the CPI(M) in Kerala has been limited to just Vijayan now and in a democracy, there should not be a leader who is unquestionable. He said it was better for Vijayan tosit in the opposition bench for the next five years so that he would be in a position to be questioned over his past rule.

Expressing confidence about the victory of Congress nominee K Muraleedharan at Nemom, the lone BJP seat in the state Assembly, Antony said it was not a stronghold of the saffron party.

BJP veteran O Rajagopal had won the Nemom segment in 2016 Assembly polls due to the sympathy of the voters towards the candidate as he had repeatedly failed in several previous polls, he added.