Pinarayi swears by own style and stand on Sabarimala amid poll rout

_{Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has claimed that the row over women's entry into Sabarimala temple did not have an impact on the Lok Sabha polls even while accepting the massive defeat that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) suffered.}

_{"The government only did what it was supposed to. Irrespective of who the CM is, he/she can only act like this. The LS results cannot be considered as the people's verdict against the government," Pinarayi said on Saturday.}

_{The CM refused to accept the charge that the LDF’s worst showing in LS polls with just one victory in the 20 assembly constituencies in the state was due to the Sabarimala factor.}

_{“If the Sabarimala row did have an impact on the polls, then wouldn’t it have helped the BJP? The BJP had claimed that it would win in Pathanamthitta. But they finished third," the CM pointed out.}

_{"Some sections tried to create discord among the faithful. The front would check if their attempts had succeeded," he said.}

_{No censure of govt}

_{When asked if he would resign from his chief ministerial post over the poll debacle, Pinarayi Vijayan brushed off the question as a usual demand by the opposition.}

_{Pinarayi said that the people had belief in his government and it would be proved at the right time. “The LS results cannot be seen as a censure of the government,” he added.}

_{When asked if he would change his style of functioning, Pinarayi said, "My way of functioning is mine. I reached till here through my way of functioning. That will continue," he said.}

_{Why LDF lost}

_{Pinarayi however conceded that the LDF couldn't gauge the mood of the electorate.}

_{“The LDF defeat is not a constant. Of the several reasons that led to this defeat, the LDF failed to understand a few during campaigning. One of them was the people's anxiety over the country's future. They did not want a BJP-led government at the Centre. A good number of them, including those who support the LDF, believed that the Congress would be able to form government. As it was the Lok Sabha polls, they decided to vote for the Congress.}

_{"Raul Gandhi's decision to contest from Wayanad also favoured the Congress. This pro-Congress factor led to the decline in LDF votes,” Pinarayi explained.}