Ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have begun stepping up their campaign for the Aruvikkara Assembly by-election, with senior UDF leaders led by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy fanning out across the constituency seeking votes for development and the LDF and BJP moving to the grassroots with their poll message.
The Chief Minister returned to the constituency for the second time in three days, this time focusing his attention on Scheduled Caste colonies.
Beginning his campaign from the Nettarachitra One Lakh Housing Colony, Mr. Chandy toured several SC colonies spread over the constituency, attending mostly family gatherings and speaking at almost all these places about the welfare measures taken by his government over the last four years, particularly the Karunya scheme through which assistance totalling Rs.701 crore had been distributed among the needy. Mr. Chandy’s focus during his tour of the constituency on Thursday was on Scheduled Tribe colonies.
Daily basis
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran has also been moving around the constituency on a daily basis attending family get-togethers. Ruling alliance’s candidate K.S. Sabarinadhan would begin his roadshow from Tholicode on Sunday.
Senior Congress leader A.K. Antony would be on hand to cap the UDF campaign with a roadshow lasting three days.
The LDF’s lone star campaigner so far has been Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan, who was able to liven up the Opposition campaign in his inimitable style at a campaign rally organised at Aryanad on Tuesday.
He would return to the constituency on Monday and be there till Friday.
He would also be present to take the LDF campaign to its climax with a roadshow on June 24. Giving fillip to the campaign during the intervening period would be CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan. LDF candidate M. Vijayakumar would begin his roadshow on Tuesday.
The BJP has also been able to make its presence felt on the campaign front with its candidate O. Rajagopal reaching all corners of the constituency and party State president V. Muraleedharan and other leaders setting a scorching pace, reaching out to its potential support bases in the constituency.
Union Ministers Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Smriti Irani, and Pon Radhakrishnan are expected to add the glamour quotient to the campaign next week.
