Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 16: Congress general secretary, Organisation, K. C. Venugopal, on Monday criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the schedule announced for the Kerala Assembly elections, saying the gap between nomination filing and polling is too short. Despite raising these concerns, he affirmed that the party is fully prepared for the elections.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Venugopal said, “We are ready and fully prepared. We are going to win the election. Our entire strategy has been finalised, and we are fully geared to achieve victory. Preparedness is not an issue for us.”

He highlighted that the tight election timeline will leave candidates with minimal opportunity to campaign. According to the schedule, the notification was issued immediately after the ECI announced the election dates, with the first phase of polling set for April 9, nomination filing on March 23, scrutiny on March 24, and withdrawal on March 26. This sequence leaves candidates with roughly 11 days for campaigning, of which festivals like Good Friday and Easter will further reduce effective outreach to four to five days.

Venugopal questioned the rationale for placing Kerala in the first phase alongside Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry. “If the Election Commission wanted to announce elections early, it could have done so in February, as it did last year. Counting is scheduled for May 4, so the urgency to include Kerala in the first phase is unclear,” he said.

He also raised concerns over the ECI’s credibility as a neutral institution, suggesting that repeated scheduling decisions are creating doubts. Despite this, Venugopal reiterated the Congress party’s confidence that the people of Kerala will back them in the upcoming polls.