An unbeaten dominance for the past half century, coupled with a long list of achievements, cements the confidence of the Left Democratic Front to face the voters again in Vadakara municipality. The leap attained in the public education sector comes as the biggest campaign tool for the LDF. On the other hand, what they actually missed out in areas such as the creation of newer revenue sources or the improvement of the town gives confidence to the rival front to campaign for a change.
The capital of the erstwhile Kurumbranadu principality, which was home to the legendary heros of Vadakkanpattu, Vadakara has come a long way to attain a key position in the list of local bodies after the Kozhikode City Corporation.
It has the largest number of voters and candidates in Kozhikode district. The LDF, which came to power by winning 28 out of the 47 seats in the last elections, hopes to make it 30 now. For the UDF, the 17 seats it attained will have to be doubled for any administrative change. With two seats, the BJP is yet to be a challenge for either fronts.
“For us, the biggest feat during the last term is the progress of the academic sector. Over 200 students who won the lower secondary and upper secondary scholarships last year alone attest to the results of our efforts,” says K. Sreedharan, who led the municipality. He feels that the creation of 18 high-tech classrooms covering four government schools even before the official launch of the Kerala government’s public education campaign makes the efforts noteworthy for any voter.
The municipality’s latest achievement in securing the prestigious hygiene status by adopting a model waste treatment strategy also makes the LDF campaign better this time. It is now the first urban local body to claim the title. Projects worth ₹25 crore under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board are also in the pipeline to win the voters’ support.
For the rivals, the list of missed-out welfare goals throws in a serious challenge to the LDF. The United Democratic Front campaigners allege that those who make big claims after enjoying power for over five decades can never prove that they have kept pace with the time and achieved larger development goals.
“A commercial complex, which was completed on BOT basis five years ago by investing over ₹40 crore, is yet to be a revenue generating venture with the administrative incompetence. The Vadakara link road still remains in zigzag form spoiling the whole beauty of the urban space,” says Suresh Babu, one of the 17 UDF councillors.
According to him, the LDF failed to keep its promise of constructing a shopping complex at the old bus stand, which troubled many small scale traders. A better drainage system is yet to be reality, he claims.
