CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby is arriving for the LDF election convention in the city on Wednesday. | Photo credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary MA Baby said here on Wednesday that the massive turnout of devotees at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple on Tuesday upset the calculations of the Travancore Devaswom Board.
“However, the board leadership was able to take control of the situation without much trouble,” he said in his inaugural address at a convention organized by the Left Democratic Front in connection with the Kochi Corporation elections.
He said the “fruitful discussions” held at the Ayyappa World Summit in Sabarimala could have resulted in an increase in the number of pilgrims in connection with the annual pilgrimage season.
Mr Baby said that financial assistance worth around ₹70,000 crore was distributed to local bodies in the second term of the Left Front government from 2021. He claimed that the matching assistance provided by the United Democratic Front government between 2011 and 2016 was only ₹30,000 crore.
He argued that the government was able to make gains in various sectors despite the negative impact of the capitalist policies implemented by the Union government. The government also promulgated laws that held officials accountable for delaying services to the people, he said.
He said that the Left Front rule in Kochi Corporation has improved the scenario of waste management in Brahmapuram through scientific initiatives. He also listed Samridhi@Kochi, a budget hotel jointly run by the civic body and Kudumbashree, among the achievements of the outgoing council.
Industries Minister P. Rajeeve, Mayor M. Anilkumar and S. Sathish, District Secretary of the CPI(M) spoke.
Published – 19 Nov 2025 20:12 IST
