25 Lakh jobs in 5 years: LDF

The ruling CPI(M) led Left Democratic Front,promising to Convert Kerala into a rapidly growing state in the country, pledges to continue with its developmental and welfare activities if voted to power in the April 13 Assembly elections.

The election Manifesto, which was released here on Monday, promises to generate 25 lakh jobs over five years. Of these, it promises to generate 10 lakh jobs in the unorganised sector, five lakhs in IT-BT sector and 50,000 in the government sector.

Veteran CPI(M) leader and Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan released the manifesto. CPI (M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and LDF convenor Vaikom Viswan were present along with leaders of the constituent parties.

On getting a fresh mandate, the LDF says it would provide rice at Rs two a kilo for all families and raise the pension for the aged to Rs 1000.

The manifesto has come up with many sops for women and children and promises to make Kerala a 'woman friendly' state.

If voted to power, the LDF promises to implement welfare schemes such as maternity benefits for women in the unorganised sector, Free books, food and uniform for school children and welfare-cum-pension scheme for employees of places of worship of all religions...More here... http://keralz.com/news/elections/el23.html

CPI(M) led Front suffers set back in Kerala polls

The CPI(M) led Left Democratic Front in Kerala suffered a major set back in the three-tier local body elections with the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front surging ahead in both the urban and the local areas.

In a major blow to the LDF, the UDF wrested the Kochi Corporation after three long decades. The Left Front was also thrashed the UDF in Thrissur Corporation. In the last civic polls, the UDF had lost all the five corporations.

The LDF could only manage with Thiruvanathauram and Kollam corporations.

Of the 74 seats in Kochi Corporation, the UDF had got a clear majority, winning 47 seats. The LDF won in 23 while the BJP and independents won in two seats each. Out of the total 55 seats in Thrissur Corporation, the UDF made a clean sweep with 45 seats. The LDF had to be contended with just six seats and two seats each was won by the BJP and Independents.

It was a tight fight between the two fronts in Thiruvanathapuram, in which the Left front got 53 seats and the UDF 38 seats. The BJP has won in six seats while others won three seats. It was only in Kollam that the LDF had a comfortable win. They bagged 34 seats while the UDF got 19 seats. Two seats went to independent candidates.

Counting for the Kozhikode Corporation will be done Oct 31.

The UDF also had an upper hand in the municipalities. It won 39 of the Municipalities whereas the LDF got only 18 municipalities.

The LDF was behind the UDF in the District Panchayat, block Panchayat and grama panchayats.

In the last elections, the Left Democratic front was in power in 12 of 14 district panchayats, 33 of the 53 municipalities, 114 of 152 block panchayats and 688 of 984 gram panchayats.

Cong registers thumping victory in Kerala

The Congress led United Democratic Front has retained all the three assembly constituencies defeating their arch rivals CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front with a huge margin, the results for which were announced on November 10.

Two times MP from Kannur A P Abdullakutty, who had joined the Congress after his long stint with the Marxists, won the Kannur Assembly on a Congress ticket with a huge margin of 12,043 votes. CPI (M) candidate M V Jayarajan got 41,944 votes.

Former Minister Dominic Presentation of the Congress won the Ernakulam constituency, defeating his CPI (M) rival P N Seenulal for a margin of 8,620 votes. Congress candidate A A Shukoor defeated Mr G Krishnaprasad of the CPI in Alappuzha. Shukoor won the constituency with a margin of 4,745 votes.
The BJP could not fare well in the three assembly segments. BJP candidate in Kannur, Renjith, could only poll 5,665 Votes. In Alappuzha, K Babu got only 2,247 votes and Sobha Surendran in Ernakulam bagged only 7,208 Votes. .. Read more at www.keralz.com