None of the three major candidates in the high-profile Thrissur constituency perhaps will dare underestimate the electorate this time. For, all the three have tasted failure in different elections in the past.
If United Democratic Front candidate Padmaja Venugopal succumbed to the Left Democratic Front wave that swept the district in 2016, LDF candidate P. Balachandran had tasted defeat in 2011.
Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, on the BJP ticket, failed to live up to expectations in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when T.N. Prathapan of the Congress earned a thumping victory.
“I have established a strong link with the people here in the past seven years when I stayed in Thrissur to work with the party as well as the people. Thrissur has been a stronghold of the UDF,” says Ms. Venugopal.
Fighting from a city that was her father K. Karunakaran’s long-standing political base, it is a prestigious contest this time for Ms. Venugopal. “I am not judging the calibre of my opponents. It was the decision of my party that I contest,” Ms. Venugopal, also a vice president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, adds.
She points out that the potential for development in Thrissur is yet to be fully tapped. “We need more infrastructure. If elected, I would like to open an exclusive market for businesswomen. The rich culture of Thrissur can also be utilised in a better way,” says Ms. Venugopal.
On the other hand, LDF’s P. Balachandran, fondly called ‘Balsi’ by friends and party workers, is a popular face in the socio-cultural scene in the district. Having completed his second round of poll campaign now, Mr. Balachandran is confident about securing a victory.
“A pro-LDF wave is sweeping the State. In the past five years, Agriculture Minister Sunil Kumar could haul the constituency out of the developmental paralysis it had suffered before. This has improved my acceptability among the voters,” says Mr. Balachandran, CPI State council member.
The huge majority Mr. Prathapan secured in the general elections two years ago does not, however, dampen Mr. Balachandran’s spirit. “People then voted for the Congress fearing against the BJP coming to power at the Centre. But in the bypolls after 2019 and in the recent local body elections, the district favoured the Left,” he maintains.
The BJP, which has put the Thrissur seat in the A-plus category, had been adamant about fielding a candidate with a star image. Thus, a triangular fight was ensured when Suresh Gopi filed his nomination as the NDA candidate in the constituency.
The actor made a dramatic landing in a helicopter and marched to the Collectorate, accompanied by a motor rally, to file nomination papers.
Making it clear that Sabarimala would be his chief poll plank this time as well, Mr. Gopi said the Centre was planning a legislation regarding women’s entry to Sabarimala. Mr. Gopi is, however, yet to commence his campaign reportedly due to poor health.