Political parties upbeat as Assembly poll battle begins in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Political parties in Kerala expressed confidence about the electoral battle ahead soon after the Election Commission on Sunday announced the schedule for the Assembly polls.
The Assembly election for 140 seats will be held in Kerala on April 9.
Both the CPI(M) and the CPI of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) were the first to announce their candidates, and many of them kicked off their election campaigns soon after the announcements.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said seat sharing in the Front has almost been completed on time, and clarity is required for only a few seats.
"Even though the seat-sharing consensus has been reached in the Front, candidates are being decided by the respective parties. They will announce candidates separately," he said.
He said the CPI(M) has already announced candidates, and campaign activities have begun.
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Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan, said the United Democratic Front (UDF) will contest the elections as a united team.
"It is the team UDF that is facing the election. We will return to power with over 100 seats," he said.
Satheesan said the confidence of winning over 100 seats stems from the UDF’s victories in recent bypolls and local body elections.
He said the Congress is also ready to announce its candidates.
"We have said that after the election announcement, we will announce candidates within 24 hours. There is no doubt about it," he said.
Satheesan added that the candidates would be announced in New Delhi after party leaders reach there on Monday.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said only 25 days remain to bring about a change of government.
"It is not a time for rest. Everyone should move forward with vigour. For the UDF, it is the final phase after victories in the bypolls and local body elections," he said.
Thangal also said the Muslim League would soon announce its candidates as the final round of discussions would conclude shortly.
The BJP is also expected to announce its candidates in the coming days.
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India is going to do this more and more often: Sanju Samson
New Delhi (PTI): Sanju Samson, whose exploits fuelled India's recent T20 World Cup triumph, on Sunday asserted that the country is poised to rule global cricket for years to come.
Speaking on the sidelines of the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 in the capital, Samson also likened his exploits during India's triumphal march to the title to a movie, and said it was yet to sink in.
"Not yet, I am still like, actually, when I get up in the morning I'm like 'has it really happened'. So honestly, that's the feeling," Samson said when asked about last Sunday's triumph.
He added, "But I feel that in the coming years with the quality of players we have in our country, this is going to be repeated. It's not going to be, okay, it has happened once in a while. The amount of players which are coming up and definitely India is going to do this more and more often."
Samson was named Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup after a historic campaign, scoring 321 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200 in just five innings to lead India to the title.
Despite not playing initially, he delivered 80-plus scores in the must-win Super Eights match against the West Indies, the semi-final against England, and in the final against New Zealand.
Samson further said he has been dreaming to help India win a World Cup.
"Absolutely, I think you can only dream where you want to go, but you can't definitely ride the path towards it. So my life or my career has been one of the best examples. I definitely wanted to do this a couple of years ago.
"I want to win a World Cup for my country, but it had its own plan, its own script. So, but more like a movie. I enjoyed it," Samson said.
The unassuming star from Kerala has been toiling for years to leave an impact on the game, and the T20 World Cup was his finest moment.
"As I said before, I wanted to do something like this, then I got pulled out of my journey, and then suddenly, the team wanted me to come and contribute, and that's when I actually mentally flipped a bit... I think, before that, in the New Zealand series, the focus was all about myself.
"But in the World Cup, the focus is all about the team. I think what does a team require. And in the Zimbabwe game, right from that moment, everyone wanted me to contribute to it. I had a role to play.
"So that's when the shift happened and the confidence that, okay, 'the team needs you, Sanju', and let's do what you can the best. So that's where everything started from.
"And then I had the experience, I was working mentally. I was working physically, so I knew that I'm ready, and I knew that this is meant for me, so I just had to do what I know best.
"So, I've been playing this format for a very long time and then it was just about planning and going out there and executing it," Samson said.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj described the triumph as a "miracle" from a personal point of view as he was not even part of the initial squad for the tournament and was included only as a replacement for an injured Harshit Rana.
"I was not in the initial squad, then I got it, played a game, and now I have been part of two World Cup-winning squads. I would say it's a miracle for me," Siraj said.
