Alappuzha: Vellappally Natesan, general secretary of the influential Hindu organisation SNDP Yogam, reiterated his backing for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday, calling the state government’s performance “beautiful” and predicting a high chance of a third term.

“There is no doubt; everything is going on beautifully. The possibility of Pinarayi returning to power is clearly strong. I am fully satisfied with the Pinarayi government. The chance of a third term is high,” he said.

Months ago, Natesan described himself as a devotee of Pinarayi Vijayan and said Pinarayi “himself will become the Chief Minister. There is no point in anyone else becoming the Chief Minister.”  He was also seen arriving in Pinarayi Vijayan’s official car for the Global Ayyappa Sangamam. The latest remarks appears to cement his personal backing to Vijayan.

SNDP Yogam to decide official stance post-election announcements

On the Ezhava community’s voting behaviour, Vellappally said the Yogam would not dictate party choices.

“All parties have members in the Ezhava community. They will vote according to their beliefs. It does not seem that SNDP Yogam will decide which party to vote for. If a decision has to be made, the board and council of the Yogam must meet. Only then can an official stance be announced. Let the elections be declared. Let candidate selection happen. After that, the board will discuss and communicate the Yogam’s opinion,” he said.

Sabarimala gold theft case likely to feature in elections

Regarding the questioning of UDF convener Adoor Prakash by the SIT over the Sabarimala gold theft case, Natesan suggested it was being kept alive for electoral purposes.

“All this will remain until the election. After that, the gold will not be seen, the panels will not be seen, Ayyappan will not be seen, discussion will not be seen. Right now, it will be an election stunt,” he said.

He added: “It is wrong to take name of parties as involved, whether UDF or LDF. Many individuals may have gone as devotees of Ayyappa and could have been linked with officials. How can one say it belongs to a party? There will be people in both LDF and UDF.”

BJP vote share expected to rise in Kerala

Vellappally also predicted an increase in BJP’s vote share following Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s appointment as state chief.

“BJP will increase its vote share this time. After Rajeev Chandrasekhar became state chief, there is a major change in Kerala. I am not commenting on whether a seat will be won or lost. The vote share will increase compared to last time,” he added.