Campaign managers and cadre of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Thiruvananthapuram Central seem to have slipped into a stupor with the ‘no-show’ of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and former cricketer S. Sreesanth.
Soon after the BJP national leadership announced his candidature, Mr. Sreesanth made a whirlwind tour of the capital but got busy later with other engagements. Party leaders and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadre who are running the NDA campaign apparently could not care less. Introducing a candidate, that too a novice in politics is deemed a challenging task.
Moreover, UDF candidate V.S. Sivakumar and LDF nominee Antony Raju have registered their presence in the constituency. Mr. Raju has more than compensated for his belated entry.
Long gap blamed
The BJP leadership blames it on the long gap of more than a month until the election and exudes confidence of overcoming the delay. But, if the tone and tenor of the BJP campaign in the neighbouring constituencies of Nemom, Vattiyurkavu, Kazhakoottam and Kattakada is an indication, it could be assumed that local leaders have almost given up claims on the segment, which, they had earlier projected as a prestigious fight.
The RSS machinery as well as the candidates in the other four segments had launched work in right earnest, well before the announcement of the poll schedule. But it is limping in the heart of the city.
Meanwhile, middle-level leaders as well as the cadre tacitly put the blame on the national leadership for the choice of the candidate. In fact, it had decided to field Mr. Sreesanth overlooking Ashok Kumar and M.S. Kumar who had fared well in the previous elections. Some fellow travellers say either of them would have been a better choice.
The current impasse is likely to cast its shadow on all the four segments and could also work to the detriment of others. Fighting seasoned politicians who have weathered the challenges of several elections would not be an easy task for a debutant like Mr. Sreesanth, they feel. In the face of stringent instructions from the leadership, they may suppress their sentiments for the time being, but they are likely to surface soon after the elections, sources say.
Though the former cricketer made a whirlwind tour of the capital after his candidature was announced, he got busy later with other engagements soon
