An intense straight fight between two contenders seems to be emerging in the Angamaly Assembly constituency.
The Congress has fielded sitting MLA Roji M. John to retain its hold over the segment while the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is banking on Jose Thettayil of Janata Dal (Secular) to recapture it. Mr. John had ended the two consecutive terms of Mr. Thettayil in 2016, after the latter had to stay out of the electoral scene following a sexual harassment case against him.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) camp has claimed that its candidate will sail through in the final lap. “We are requesting the voters to help in ensuring UDF rule in the next five years. Despite being an MLA representing the Opposition benches, I was able to play a key role in the development of the constituency in the last five years,” said Mr. John, who defeated Benny Moonjely of the JD(S) by 9,184 votes in the 2016 election.
Mr. Thettayil alleged that the sitting MLA had failed to execute various developmental projects despite the allocation of funds by the LDF government. “The Angamaly bypass project and Kalady bridge are some of the projects pending even after the allotment of sufficient funds. The voters are aware of the multi-crore infrastructure projects and other welfare initiatives implemented here during my term,” he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded K.V. Sabu to step up its vote share in the constituency. It has chosen a member of the Jacobite community hoping that he may get a share of the votes. However, the rival fronts reminded that it might not work, as the Jacobite faction has announced an “equidistance” policy in the election.
“We hope to improve our performance, especially after the performance in the local body elections. The party had won two seats in the municipality, besides bagging seats in Thuravoor, Parakkadavu and Kalady panchayats,” said Mr. Sabu.
