With the dust and storm kicked up by the Lok Sabha elections slowly settling down, the city is all set to witness yet another closely contested election in the Attipra ward, which will be crucial to both fronts in the Corporation.
But, the last round of campaigning has started on an ugly note with the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) being accused of using campaign material holding the Left Democratic Front (LDF) responsible for the death of its former councillor M.S. Sangeetha.
The LDF has forwarded a complaint to the State Election Commission (SEC) and the District Collector, accusing the UDF of indulging in unfair tactics defaming its leaders to win the elections.
“In the last round of campaigning that started on Saturday, they were playing an audio CD having a seemingly satirical message that accuses LDF leaders of being responsible for the death of Ms. Sangeetha. We have requested the election commission to seize the CD and take action against the UDF,” said works standing committee chairperson V.S. Padmakumar.
When contacted by The Hindu , Leader of the Opposition Johnson Joseph said he was unaware of the issue.
The by-election became necessary after Ms. Sangeetha died in November last. Her death brought down the LDF’s tally in the 100-member council, perilously close to that of the combined Opposition consisting of the UDF (42), the BJP (6), and an independent. The LDF had 51 seats. Following the councillor’s death, the LDF strength was reduced to 50, just one ahead of the combined Opposition’s 49. The party managed to pass council decisions, sometimes even getting the support of BJP councillors.
