BJP will draw a blank this time too, says Pinarayi Vijayan Premium

Pinarayi Vijayan predicts the BJP will fail again in Kerala, emphasising the Left's enduring strength and commitment to development.

Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan is leading the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) charge on the hustings as the coalition seeks an unprecedented third consecutive term in the state assembly polls on April 9. Just shy of 81, he exudes confidence of a win, pities the Congress for being the ‘B team of the BJP’ and predicts the BJP drawing a blank yet again, as he sits down for an interview with The Hindu at Pinarayi in his constituency, Dharmadam. Edited excerpts:

A large number of incumbent MLAs have been renominated by the Left front. No anti-incumbency?

There’s no anti-incumbency because people feel that the government has strived to implement to the best of its abilities what the people wanted. Ten years ago, Kerala was in a shambles, but we brought about a sea change in all sectors. Now, our Vision 2031 delineates the achievable goals in each sector in order to develop Kerala in step with the modern times.

Our youth want the higher education sector to be strengthened further. If no institution from Kerala featured among the 100 top institutions nationally in 2016, eighteen Kerala colleges are on the list now. It’s the result of active interventions, which call for a continuance.

We have fostered research, modern-day courses and skill development of the youth, linking the academia to industries. Our industry-friendliness is attracting top players from all over the world and everyone, except red industries, is welcome. We have a pre-eminent startup ecosystem.

But despite this, the Left suffered a jolt in the recent local body polls.