Alappuzha: LDF candidate AM Arif suffered a heavy blow in Alappuzha. Arif was the only leftist candidate who won from Kerala in the last Lok Sabha elections. But this time he could not lead even once in the constituency. AM Arif is currently in the second position.
Congress candidate KC Venugopal is leading by over 60,000 votes. Close behind is NDA candidate Sobha Surendran with strong competition. The inability of the lone Left sitting MP to advance is a major setback for the CPM. The sitting MP has again fielded the LDF in the hope that the socio-communal conditions that led to victory last time will be favorable this time as well.
But lack of development and anti-government sentiment have backfired. NDA has seen a tough competition in the constituency. Currently NDA has won more than forty thousand votes. Alappuzha is a constituency where the LDF went from being a lump of coal in the 2019 elections. Arif won with minimum majority in Kerala.
