“Except the non-existent sea wall, there is no single issue that binds the coastal wards. But, none of the issues are big enough to affect the strongholds of the two fronts in these wards,” Silva gives one of the most succinct overviews of the 11 wards lining the city’s coastal wards, as he hauls a heavy fishing net ashore with his friends, after the morning catch near Valiyathura.
If the lack of infrastructure is the area of concern in Shanghumughom, further down south in Poonthura, it is the lack of drinking water which angers the voters.
Water scarcity
“Water comes through the pipes only for a short time around 1 a.m. The public taps are all gone,” says Sebastian, a driver from Poonthura.
Out of the 11 coastal wards, LDF holds seven and UDF holds four.
If the rebels don’t spring a surprise, all indications are towards this equation remaining almost the same, give one or two on either side.
Valiyathura, where the UDF has lost only once in the last four decades, will be a keenly watched contest. This time, the UDF will have to face three rebel candidates. “It is more of a fight between the A and I group here, rather than LDF and UDF,” says a resident here.
At Shanghumughom, held by the LDF, the UDF has a strong candidate in Vettukad Solomon. Some level of dissatisfaction with the previous councillor for ‘ignoring the ward’ could come into play here.
At Beemapally, the UDF is feeling confident with the return of Beemapally Rasheed of the Indian Union Muslim League, who won from here in 2005.
At Vallakkadavu, the CPI(M)’s Shajida Nazar is looking for a third consecutive win. Even the Congress booth workers here admit privately that breaking her hold here could be next to impossible.
Confident
The Puthenpally ward, once the stronghold of the PDP’s Poonthura Siraj, was wrested by the LDF in the last elections. The PDP and SDPI were both reduced to less than 300 votes each last time. The LDF is confident here thanks to the massive win by more than 1,000 votes in 2010.
Poonthura is another LDF stronghold for the past 20 years, but this time around there has been some resentment from within against the LDF candidate.
At Vizhinjam, Sudheer Khan, sitting councillor of the UDF from the Harbour ward, is expected to provide some stiff fight to the official candidate.
