For the two political fronts — the United Democratic Front and the Left Democratic Front — the district panchayat is much coveted. If for the UDF, it is a fight to retain control of the panchayat, in which they came to power for the first time in 2010, for the LDF it is a political battle to repeat its consecutive wins thrice after the panchayat came into being in 1995.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, with its new found political vigour, has decided to contest all the 26 seats unlike in the previous elections, with an aim to open its account in the district panchayat. The poll preparations, according to a source in the District Congress Committee, have begun with a panel almost zeroing in on Congress candidates for 21 to 22 seats leaving the rest to Kerala Congress (M), Janata Dal (United), and Indian Union Muslim League. The JD (U) is likely to retain Venganoor and Vithura seats it contested successfully in the last civic body polls, sources in the District Congress Committee told The Hindu . Chairman for standing committee for Works in the outgoing panchayat Anad Jayan and R. Valsalan are the frontrunners for the president’s post, sources said. While Mr. Jayan would contest from Anad, Mr. Valsalan would be fielded from Parassala, sources said.
LDF is already on a campaign mode with the settling of seats among constituent partners and the draft for the manifesto in place. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) had decided on its candidates for 21 seats, one more than the number of seats it contested in the last elections after the exit of Revolutionary Socialist Party. Communist Party of India will contest in four seats and Janata Dal (U) in one.
The CPI(M) has decided to field former vice president of the district panchayat B.P. Murali from Palode and V.K. Madhu, who held the post of chairman standing committee for Education in the first panchayat committee, from Navaikulam. Sources in the LDF said either of the two would be the president if the front returned to power in the district panchayat.
