UDF parties face survival battle in Assembly polls: RSP leader Shibu Baby John

Kollam (Kerala), Jan 3 (PTI) RSP leader Shibu Baby John on Friday said the upcoming state Assembly election would be a battle for survival for parties in the UDF alliance.

Speaking to a news channel here, John said he is keen to contest the election from the Chavara constituency in Kollam district.

He said the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), which is part of UDF, has begun preparations for the Assembly election and that the "front is expected to make significant gains in Kollam district as well as across the state".

“It is a do-or-die battle for the RSP, for the Congress and also for the UDF. Every party in the UDF is driven by the realisation that this is a battle for survival,” he said.

John said he wishes to contest from Chavara as he entered politics following his father, Baby John, a RSP leader who represented the constituency multiple times.

John had earlier won the Chavara Assembly seat in the 2011 elections and later became a minister in the UDF government.

However, he lost the seat in the 2016 Assembly elections.

In the 2021 polls, the constituency was won by LDF candidate Sujith Vijayanpillai.

“I cannot ignore the love and trust of the people of Chavara. Many have suggested that it would be easier for me to shift constituencies, but that goes against my conscience. That is why I have told the party that if it contests the election, I should be given the opportunity to contest from Chavara,” he said.

He said the party had discussed the matter months ago and he feels it is moving in a positive direction.

In the 2021 Assembly election, the RSP contested five seats, of which two were outside Kollam district.

When asked whether the RSP would seek a change in constituencies outside Kollam, John said the party would raise such demands within the UDF.

“In Attingal and Mattannur given to us the UDF has never won. Also, out of the 14 reserved constituencies, two were given to the RSP, which are not favourable to the party. We will demand that the UDF allot other constituencies to us,” he said, adding that the alliance is expected to take a positive stand on the matter. PTI TBA TBA ADB