Kochi: The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led by Abdul Nasser Madani will continue to support the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala. The PDP on Friday announced that it will extend support to the LDF in the April 26 Lok Sabha elections.

The party declared its stand here at a leadership meet. The decision was announced after Madani, an accused out on bail in the 2008 Bengaluru blast case, ratified it. The ailing leader did not attend the meet. Madani had also been accused in the Coimbatore bombings in 1998 and served over nine years in jail before being acquitted.

The PDP, in its resolution extending support to the Left, said the most important issue in the upcoming elections is the challenge posed by the BJP to democracy. The party said it decided to continue the support extended to the LDF in recognition to its attempts to fight fascism.

“Above all, it is imperative to sustain the Constitution, secularism and plurality of the country for its future. The economy has collapsed during the BJP rule. Public sector undertakings are sold off to corporates. Constititional establishments are getting fascistic. Unemployment and price rise have peaked. The ruling dispensation itself is propagating communalism and hatred without considering the people’ bread and butter issues. It is trying to divide the people by implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act. Programmes are being designed to declare the secular republic a religious state,” the resolution said.

Kochi Mayor and CPM leader M Anil Kumar was present at the meet where the support was announced.

The PDP announced the decision after holding discussions with CPM leaders including state secretary M V Govindan, PDP vice chairmen Muttom Nazar and Muhammed Bilal said. The leaders said PDP cadre will campaign for LDF candidates in all 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The party is expecting to swing votes in favour of LDF in constituencies like Kollam, Mavelikkara, Alappuzha and Malappuram.

Founded in 1993, PDP claims to have around 1.5 lakh active members. Active membership is issued to a worker after three years of serving the party.

“When the party declares a political stand in favour of a particular front, it could influence a significant number of people who respect our party chairman. It was evident in the past elections,” Nazar said.

PDP had extended support to the Congress-led United Democratic Front in 2001 and the front won 99 out of 140 Assembly seats. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the PDP contested alone from Ponnani constituency and polled over 45,000 votes. In 2009, the party entered into an agreement with LDF and fielded Dr Hussain Randathani in Ponnani. However, the experiment failed. One of the factors attributed to the near rout of the LDF (from 18 seats in 2004, its number fell to four) was the alliance with Madani. In the 2016 and 2021 Assembly polls, the PDP supported the LDF.