As the electioneering for the April 13 Assembly elections has gathered a feverish pace, the Kanhangad constituency, which, post-delimitation, replaces Hosdurg, a traditional Left stronghold, is poised to witness one of the fiercest contests between the rival fronts, with a BJP veteran, Madikkai Kammaran, all set to shift the balance of fortunes between them.
The poll equations here have undergone a drastic change, considering the outcome of the previous Lok Sabha and the local body polls, the choice of the nominees of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic front (UDF) and the delimitation. And unlike Hosdurg, it is not a reserved constituency.
Hosdurg had the record of electing the Left nominees in all previous polls, except in 1987, when N. Manoharan of the Congress defeated Pallipram Balan of the Communist Party of India (CPI) by 59 votes. Kanhangad has formidable candidates in the CPI State Council member E. Chandrasekharan and the Congress leader M.C. Jose, a senior lawyer of the Kanhangad Bar, both in their 60s.
Mr. Chandrasekharan, a native of nearby Perumbala, known for his clean image in political circles, and Mr. Jose, a familiar face among the electorate, are leaving no stone unturned.
The former started his campaign much ahead of his rival and his electioneering got further momentum with the visit of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who enjoys mass support in the area as seen from the protests after the party initially denied him the ticket.
The UDF suffered an initial setback following the differences between the Congress and the Kerala Congress(M), which staked its claim for the constituency. After the differences were amicably settled at the initiative of the Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala during his recent visit here, all constituents of the front have joined hands for the victory of its candidate.
Mr. Jose, throughout his campaign, is speaking of development, which, he alleges, has been reaching the constituency at an abysmally slow pace despite its potential.
Mr. Chandrasekharan, stressing the need to vote the LDF back to power to continue the development and welfare initiatives of the government, especially for cashew and bidi workers, hopes to repeat the LDF victory despite the delimitation, which saw the UDF-dominated Ajanur panchayat joining Kanhangad and the Left citadels of Neeleswaram and Cheruvathur merging with the Thrikkarippur segment.
He is hopeful of solid support from the Left citadels of Madikkai and Kinanur-Karinthalam panchayats.
If Mr. Chandrasekharan can expect the support of the Nair Service Society to some extent, Mr. Jose can garner support of a sizeable number of Christian settler families in the hilly hamlets.
The slow pace of development, poor road and rail networks, an alleged indifferent approach adopted by the local political leaderships to the long-standing demand for a hill highway, demand for a separate taluk for the hilly hamlets and the long-standing aspiration for realising the Kanhangad-Kaniyur railway line that will offer the easiest access to Bangalore are the issues cited as crucial to the segment.
Mr. Kammaran, who accuses the local political leadership of having an indifferent attitude in highlighting the relative backwardness of northern Kerala, can pocket sizeable number of votes of the Yadava community, which can make the poll outcome unpredictable.
The candidates and their supporting political parties, thanks to the changed poll scene, will be forced to keep their fingers crossed.
