Thiruvananthapuram, April 1 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy struck a chord with voters in Nemom, one of the most closely watched constituencies in the April 9 Kerala elections, with a fiery, crowd-pleasing campaign that blended cinema, satire, and sharp political messaging.

Campaigning in sweltering heat for Congress leader K. S. Sabarinathan, the former MLA and current corporation councillor, Reddy electrified the gathering by invoking a popular dialogue from a Mohanlal starrer: “Nee po mone Dinesha, nee po mone Vijayan…”, loosely translated as “Go away, Vijayan, your time is up”.

The punch line drew loud cheers, as Reddy declared that the “era of the UDF” was set to begin in Kerala.

Nemom has emerged as a high-stakes battleground this election, with BJP state President Rajeev Chandrasekhar attempting to reclaim the lone Assembly seat the party won in 2016 before losing it in 2021.

Stepping up his offensive, Reddy alleged that the BJP and the RSS were attempting to expand their footprint in Kerala by tactically relying on the CPI-M and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

He went on to describe Vijayan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “two sides of the same coin”, contending that a vote for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) would, in effect, strengthen the BJP at the national level.

Using the metaphor of a ‘Lakshman Rekha’, Reddy asserted that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) had historically kept the BJP at bay in Kerala.

However, he cautioned that this political boundary was now under threat, alleging that efforts were underway to quietly erode it through behind-the-scenes arrangements.

Pitching the UDF as a development-oriented alternative, Reddy urged voters to back the alliance, promising increased investment, job creation and a stronger focus on youth concerns.

He also flagged the economic anxieties stemming from the ongoing West Asian crisis.

Reddy is scheduled to release the UDF’s election manifesto on Thursday before returning to Telangana, after campaigning across the state for two days.

Kerala goes to the polls on April 9 to elect 140 new legislators.

–IANS

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