Kochi,  Congress leader A.K. Antony, who on Friday was campaigning for his party candidate Uma Thomas in the Thrikkakara bypoll, said the electorate will give a "shock treatment" to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan when they go to the polling booths on May 31.

"The Covid pandemic turned out to be the saviour for the first Vijayan government and after winning a second term, he has forgotten the people who are suffering on all counts. This is the best opportunity for the electorate to give Vijayan a shock treatment. We are confident that Uma will win with a huge margin as the people are really disappointed in giving a second term to Vijayan," said Antony.

Antony, 81, who returned from the national capital last month after his Rajya Sabha term ended, is making his first public appearance in the state.

He said that the biggest joke that's going around is "the CPI-M is talking about development".

"They have no moral right to speak of development as every major project that you see in Kochi was the baby of the Congress-led UDF. None will forget on how the CPI-M have opposed all development programmes which includes chasing away tractors, playing spoilsport when the mechanisation of coir units first began, then they destroyed computers when they were first introduced and today they speak as if they are the ones who are pro-development," said Antony.

"This is the right opportunity for the people to give it back to Vijayan, whose arrogance has increased manifold. If the Left is going to get 100 seats, it would lead to increased arrogance and rudeness of Vijayan, so this is the right opportunity to give him a strong message," added Antony.

The bypoll came up after two-time Thrikkakara MLA and Congress veteran P.T. Thomas passed away in December last year and the party has fielded his widow Uma.