Opposition UDF ‘chargesheet’ portrays Kerala as a State in decline under nearly a decade of LDF rule

Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition in Kerala has unveiled a “chargesheet” against the government which sought to portray Kerala as a State in deep decline under nine-and-a-half years of Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan told a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday (November 19, 2025) that the “chargesheet” will be the UDF’s “calling card” at the hustings in the run-up to the local body election in Kerala in December. It is also a precursor to the UDF’s poll manifesto, set for release in Kochi on November 24, he said.

The Opposition’s ‘chargesheet’ sought to indict the State government on a slew of charges, ranging from the sensational Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple gold theft to everyday livelihood issues such as spiralling seller inflation, stray dog menace, worsening cost of living crisis, potholed roads, stalled civic works, broken public health system and a cratering agrarian sector.

Mounting public debt, human-wildlife conflict, poor law and order, surging unemployment, increasing poverty, and entrenched corruption figured prominently in the UDF’s document against the LDF.

‘Smokescreen of lies’

Mr. Satheesan said the UDF would expose the LDF’s “smokescreen of lies” about the State’s development, including tall claims about eradicating extreme poverty, in doorstep conversations and town hall meetings with voters.

He assured that the UDF’s election manifesto would offer voters a “credible governance alternative, hinging on public service delivery, enhanced social welfare, zero corruption and fast-tracked development.”

When asked why the UDF had “failed” to deliver on its relatively minor promise to build houses for families displaced by the Wayanad landslides, Mr. Satheesan blamed the State government for “failing to provide land.”

Mr. Satheesan, who is the chairperson of the UDF’s steering committee for Wayanad rehabilitation, said the Opposition would soon fulfil its promise to deliver 300 houses and had identified four sites for construction. He refused to wade into controversies surrounding the UDF’s fund collection for the Wayanad rehabilitation.

Mr. Satheesan denied that the High Court had rejected the corruption charges the UDF had brought against K-FON and AI-augmented traffic surveillance camera system. He said the court had merely stated that it could not intervene, given that the projects were under way. 

Mr. Satheesan said “a prospective UDF government in 2026” would investigate the contracts and accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s family of “having a stake in the multi-crore deals.”

He also alleged that CPI(M)-controlled service organisations had asked their members to bypass the houses of known UDF supporters when distributing SIR forms. “The next UDF government will ensure that BLOs who act as political agents for the CPI(M) lose their jobs and go to prison”, he said.

Mr. Satheesan said that this time, the Congress faced “a far lower level of the rebel menace and dissensions” over candidate selection than in past polls.