As the Congress is preparing to launch the election campaign in Thalassery for A.P. Abdullakutty, who is named as its candidate there, the constituency is all set to witness an aggressive electioneering in the coming days.
Though Thalassery is a traditional pocket borough of the CPI(M), the Congress has decided to field Mr. Abdullakutty to fight against his LDF rival A.N. Shamseer.
A former member of the CPI(M) himself who had represented the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency for 10 years, Mr. Abdullakutty is seen as the right candidate to contest in the constituency, which has a sizeable Muslim population, against his CPI(M) rival, though there are different theories doing the round in the political circles here about his candidature in Thalassery.
“I am now on the way to Thalassery to make arrangements to organise a reception to Mr. Abdullakutty and launch his election campaign tomorrow,” said district Congress president on Monday.
He said that the election machinery of the party and the United Democratic Front (UDF) was well oiled to catch up with the LDF’s head start on the campaign front in the constituency.
Mr. Shamseer, a native of Thalassery, has already started his electioneering there in the last week. His first-phase election campaign work included visits to meet veteran party workers and attend family gatherings. Initiative to hold booth-level conventions are also under way.
Mr. Abdullakutty’s candidature in Thalassery, which is apparently against his wishes as he is said to have expressed his desire to seek re-election in the Kannur constituency, is seen by many in his own party as his ‘political deportation’ from his home turf.
He, however, said he was taking his candidature as a challenge. “Thalassery has been lacking in infrastructure development,” he said.
He further said the history of political violence in the region had also curtailed the developmental potential of the area.
The Congress has decided to field A.P. Abdullakutty, a former CPI(M) member
