The Central Travancore district of Pathanamthitta, known for its high literacy rate and strong religious-cultural moorings, is witnessing a tight three-cornered contest in all the five Assembly segments of Thiruvalla, Ranni, Aranmula, Adoor and Konni.
The district is traditionally considered a United Democratic Front (UDF) bastion, though it had sent three Left Democratic Front (LDF) nominees to the State Legislature in 2011. However, the UDF regained its electoral strength by becoming the top scorer in each Assembly segment in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and the 2015 local body polls.
Political analysts see chances of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BJDS) combine becoming a game-changer this time, affecting the electoral prospects of both the UDF and the LDF. The systematic poll campaign launched by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with the help of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the SNDP Yogam volunteers has made the contest three-cornered in almost all the five Assembly segments.
Socio-political undercurrents will have a big say in deciding the poll outcome in all the five constituencies.
Ranni
Ranni, represented by Raju Abraham of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] over the past 20 years, is witnessing a stormy electoral battle. The NDA has fielded SNDP Yogam taluk union president K. Padmakumar. However, Mr. Abraham is banking on his contributions to the overall development of the constituency over the past two decades. The Congress has fielded Mariyamma Cherian, wife of M.C. Cherian, former MLA, with a strong resolve to wrest the constituency it had lost to the CPI(M) 20 years ago.
Adoor
The contest in Adoor, reserved for the Scheduled Castes, too is a three-cornered one. The campaign of sitting MLA Chittayam Gopakumar of the Communist Party of India; K.K. Shaju of the Congress; and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha State president P. Sudheer is on in full steam, making any prediction difficult in Adoor.
Thiruvalla
Sitting MLA Mathew T. Thomas of the Janata Dal (S) is seeking the people’s mandate in Thiruvalla for a third consecutive term. However, this time, he is facing stiff challenge from Kerala Congress State general secretary Joseph M. Puthussery. The BDJS has fielded its State vice-president and renowned tantri Akkeeramon Kalidasan Bhattathirippad, making the contest tight and triangular. Mr. Thomas is banking on his “Mr. Clean” image and various development initiatives such as the modern KSRTC terminal in Thiruvalla. Mr. Puthussery, known for his affable public relations, is confident of a comfortable win.
Aranmula
The Sitting MLA in Aranmula, K. Sivadasan Nair of the Congress, is banking on his development initiatives as well as personal relations for getting a third consecutive term to represent the constituency. However, Veena George of the CPI(M), with an aggressive poll campaign, is making every possible effort to defeat this otherwise imperturbable Congress man. Gaining strength from his sterling performance that could garner as many as 23,771 votes from the Assembly segment in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP candidate M.T. Ramesh has launched a systematic campaign in Aranmula.
Konni
Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash had informally launched his election campaign in Konni for a fifth consecutive term much before the last minute announcement of his candidature by the Congress leadership. The CPI(M) has fielded party district secretariat member R. Sanalkumar against Mr. Prakash, while the BJP has fielded D. Ashok Kumar. All the three major contestants have launched a well-heeled campaign in the constituency.
