CPI(M) candidate Elamaram Kareem seeking votes at Thekkeppuram in Kozhikode. | Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
The sultry breeze that carries a salty scent is a constant reminder of Thekkeppuram’s proximity to the sea. Around two dozen people have gathered in front of a restaurant with a make-shift stage by the wayside facing the sea, where Kozhikode Corporation’s standing committee chairman M.C. Anil Kumar is seen educating them about how the Congress, despite being the catalyst in forming the INDIA bloc, is not dependable to raise the voice in Parliament in favour of Kerala.
BJP candidate for the Kozhikode Loksabha Constituency M.T. Ramesh sharing a light moment with a child during his campaigning at Velliparamba in Kozhikode. | Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
The scorching sun does not impede the followers from listening to the hour-long speech before Left Democratic Front candidate in the Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency Elamaram Kareem makes an entrance accompanied by party workers holding his cutouts.
In this phase of campaigning, Mr.Kareem is focussing on small gatherings in every locality. His speech is short and simple, with the essence being “The CPI(M) is the strongest opposition against the divisive politics of the BJP,” before he rushes to the next locality. “It is a sure win this time. We have a very strong candidate,” Rahim, who sells mussels in a makeshift tent opposite the venue is confident.
Just a few kilometres away, Congress candidate M.K. Raghavan, who has represented the constituency thrice, is aiming for a more intimate approach. As soon as his vehicle stops at Karaparamba Junction, he jumps out and steps into New Krishna Bakery where the proprietors graciously offers him cooldrinks and water, which the candidate shares with party workers.
He visits every shop, bunk and hotel in the vicinity before moving to the nearby autorickshaw stand seeking votes personally from drivers. “Raghavettan (brother Raghavan) will win hands down this time too. He is such a good human being and we can see that,” Lohithakshan, a lime juice vendor at the junction has no doubts.
“Kozhikode does not vote based on caste or religion. All those who tried to incite such feelings in the past have faced defeat,” former DCC president K.C. Abu says, criticising the CPI(M) candidate for using the suffix ikka in his posters while he has always been known as comrade.
BJP candidate M.T. Ramesh did not begin his outdoor campaign until the heat subsided late in the afternoon. Touring the outskirts of the city, the mini conventions at every junction were rather uneventful.
At Velliparamba, just a few kilometres from the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, the line of party workers who prepared the grounds an hour before the candidate arrived focussed on one point in particular, “Neither the CPI(M) that cannot dream of more than four seats nor the Congress that cannot have even 40 seats are any competition for the BJP as it sets out to rule the country once again”.
Mr. Ramesh is accompanied by party workers who wore T-shirts that says ‘Vote for M.T. Ramesh’. As he talks with workers and families, the speech went on, “Let us send our man to Parliament to strengthen Modi’s hands”.
All the candidates are in the second phase of campaigning. The summer heat is a major deterrent to their plans for massive campaigns. But the candidates are unfazed as they face their opponents who raise issues such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the alleged role of CPI(M) in political violence in recent years, and the inability of the Congress to form a strong Opposition at the Centre, based on their political standpoint.
