Oommen Chandy confident of Congress win in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, April 21: After his first round of campaigning for the assembly elections, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is confident of a Congress-led UDF victory in May.

"Things are looking very good," Chandy told IANS after having campaigned for candidates of his Congress party and its allies in 13 of the state's 14 districts.

"The trend is very encouraging. What I sense is that even in areas in Malabar (north Kerala districts of Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargode), things look very good for us," he said.

Chandy is only the second Congress chief minister to complete a full five-year term in office. He hopes to make history by leading the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to victory in May.

Kerala is known to topple the ruling party in every election. Chandy hopes to break the norm.

Kerala will elect 140 legislators on May 16. The votes will be counted three days later.

"In the coming days, our campaign is only going to peak," said Chandy.

In 2011, the Chandy government assumed office with a wafer thin majority by winning 72 seats while the Left managed 68 seats.

IANS