With the constituency being a safe bet for none, both the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) have put their best foot forward. Leaving nothing to chance this time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also fielded a prominent candidate, paving way for a three-cornered electoral battle in Nedumangad.
In a keenly watched contest of sitting MLAs, Deputy Speaker Palode Ravi of the Congress is facing former Food and Civil Supplies Minister and sitting MLA of Karunagapally C. Divakaran of the Communist Party of India (CPI). National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and BJP State secretary V.V. Rajesh is leaving no stones unturned and hopes to emerge as a dark horse, benefitting from the trend of the increasing vote share of the party in recent elections.
Besides banking on Mr. Ravi’s popularity among various sections, including forward and minority communities, the UDF has focused on highlighting development projects to the Rs.500 crore that have been undertaken by the incumbent MLA. “The constituency has witnessed unprecedented progress in the past five years,” claims Mr. Ravi. He adds: “The creation of a revenue division in Nedumangad is a milestone that will pave way for the accelerated growth of the region,” he says.
Major achievements
He goes on to elaborate the other major achievements during his tenure which included the construction of a KSRTC depot at a cost of Rs.13 crore, upgrading the Nedumangad taluk hospital as district hospital and construction of a new complex by utilising Rs.12 crore, the selection of Nedumangad for the proposed Knowledge City and the extension of the Light Metro project to Pallippuram. He also takes pride on having developed every road stretches, under the Public Works Department, in the constituency.
Mr. Divakaran, on the other hand, claims that the constituency has remained “orphaned” for long with the State government failing to address the burning issues of the public. “While the taluk hospital was declared a district hospital with much fanfare, the government did not bother to ensure that enough doctors and other staff were posted. Similarly, the KSRTC depot was established in an unscientific manner, paving way for frequent traffic congestions and safety risks for pedestrians. No efforts have been made to address the problems faced by SC/ST colony residents or those suffering from acute drinking water shortage. Nedumangad is yet to realise its true potential,” he said, while addressing a gathering at Pallippuram on Monday as part of the last-leg electioneering of the LDF.
Farm sector
Asserting that the both the fronts in the State have set the constituency through the wrong growth path, Mr. Rajesh claimed that Nedumangad was in dire need of initiatives that suited its ground realities. “Despite having a local economy that depended predominantly on agriculture, there are no industrial units which made use of the farm produce as raw materials so as to support the farming community,” he said.
He assured the electorate that several projects of the BJP-led Central government had been planned for the region. These included the establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the construction of a four-lane road from Peroorkada to Nedumangad.
