History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.
Ironical it may be, but it has been the UDF, who have been living up to this popular Marxian saying, far too often to the delight of their Marxist brethren in Angamaly municipality. The saving grace for the UDF being that their rivals returned the favour at times.
The municipal body had seen 30 chairpersons in its 35 years of existence and no ruling coalition could complete its quota of five years, as Angamaly became synonymous with political horse-trading, crossovers and coalition of convenience.
Even as a woman is set to warm the chairperson’s seat this time around, the rival political fronts are engaged in a no holds barred contest to win the people over. Reetha Paul and M.A Gracy, two veteran councillors from the United Democratic Front and the Left Democratic Front respectively, are the leading contenders to the chairperson’s post.
While the CPI (M) led LDF is enthusiastic about its prospects on account of the programmes initiated during the last one year, the Congress led UDF is pinning its hopes on the popular schemes introduced by the UDF government in Kerala.
“We are determined to keep the trouble makers out this time and hence have denied candidature to as many as eight sitting councillors’’, said K.S. Shaji, Angamaly block president of the Congress. However, a delay in determining the candidates seems to have affected the coalition’s plans to take an early advantage by making a systematic usage of its coalition machinery.
Of the 30 seats, Congress will be contesting in 25 seats while the allies of Kerala Congress and Revolutionary Socialist Party will fight from two and three seats respectively.
LDF hopeful
The LDF, on the other hand, is equally hopeful of wrenching back the seats it lost in the elections last time. “We have carried out several programmes during the one year period we have been in power, including the bio-waste treatment programme, widening of roads and opening of a new-children’s park , among others’’, said Shibu K.K, CPI(M) Secretary, Angamaly area.
The LDF has allotted five seats to the Janatha Dal (Secular) and three seats to the Communist Party of India while the CPI(M) will be contesting 22 seats.
Among the total 89 candidates in fray, 24-year-old Krishna Priya, a BJP nominee in Kavarapparambu Ward is the youngest candidate while the 69-year-old Varghese Puthusserry, a former councillor, is the senior most.
The murky political turnarounds notwithstanding, the local body is yet to witness the emergence of a crucial third alternative. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which keeps a low profile in the local body, has fielded candidates in 11 out of the total 30 wards.
