For long after the declaration of the Assembly election, it seemed that the Thripunithura constituency will go to polls for the first time in a quarter of a century without former minister K. Babu, an integral part of its election landscape with his first of the five successive victories dating back to 1991, in the fray.
Attribute it to the perseverance of a seasoned politician or the shrewd application of pressure tactics — Congress activists staged a slew of protests demanding his candidacy across the constituency and beyond — Mr. Babu eventually prevailed and emerged as the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate, leaving many seat aspirants within his party crestfallen.
With the Left Democratic Front (LDF) fielding its sitting MLA M. Swaraj to retain the seat and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bringing in academic K.S. Radhakrishnan, battles lines remain drawn for an interesting three-cornered contest.
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The LDF camp seems unperturbed by the arrival of Mr. Babu and remains confident of retaining the seat riding on Mr. Swaraj’s record in development, which they claim runs into ₹2,600 crore in the past five years. Neither does the perception that Mr. Babu is accessible to a fault while Mr. Swaraj’s no-nonsense demeanour make him appear aloof cut any ice with LDF campaign managers.
“There is nothing wrong in visiting the newly wed or attending funerals. But an MLA’s job is efficient participation in legislation and development of the constituency in which Mr. Swaraj’s record is impeccable,” said C.N. Sundaran, LDF chief campaigner in Thripunithura.
The UDF would have none of it and remains intent on cashing in on Mr. Babu’s perceived image as an easy-to-approach leader while shooting down the LDF’s development claims. “Mr. Swaraj was already following ‘social distancing’ long before the pandemic,” Babu Antony, UDF chairman for the Thripunithura Assembly constituency, commented sarcastically.
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The BJP banks on its influence in Thripunithura municipality where it is now the second-biggest party. “Besides, Mr. Radhakrishnan is the best qualified of the other two, one of whom is tainted by corruption and the other had hurt the Hindu faithful,” said U. Madhusoodhanan, party district committee member. Both the UDF and the BJP target the LDF on the issue of women’s entry into the Sabarimala temple reaffirmed by the line of attack adopted by Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala in his campaign in the constituency. Questions, though, are being raised about why Mr. Chennithala failed to attack the BJP and Mr. Radhakrishnan who was once politically pampered by the Congress before he left it for greener pastures. For Mr. Babu, it is a do-or-die contest, as political wilderness stares him in the face in the event of a defeat, a taste of which he had experienced during the past five years when he was a forgotten figure. While he is being widely accepted as the best possible Congress candidate for the constituency, being a staunch ‘A’ group loyalist makes him vulnerable to ‘I’ group, which may not be averse to play spoilsport.
For Mr. Swaraj, his age works in his favour thus boosting his acceptance among the youth not to mention the popularity of his fiery speeches in the Assembly and channel talk shows on social media. For the BJP, it is about hitting beyond its weight and going beyond the Hindu vote bank in the immediate temple town.