A red fortress lost between the cup and lip in the last local body election is Mavoor for the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
To regain its citadel, the LDF has fielded new faces against United Democratic Front (UDF) candidates. Of the 18 wards, 17 have been reserved for young blood whose mission is to restore the dominance of the front that led the grama panchayat for around 45 years.
The UDF is confident of retaining power, banking on its achievements in the past five years. “Rural roads have definitely witnessed a change after the UDF came into power. Six major drinking water projects were commissioned during the period,” says Deepa Puliyappuram, president of the panchayat.
She added that the mini-stadium, constructed at an estimate of Rs.40 lakh, would be an asset to the local community.
The LDF leadership hopes to woo young voters by fielding 17 new faces in the polls. “The UDF won the election last time with 10 seats, of which five belonged to the Indian Union Muslim League. We got eight seats fighting independently,” said an LDF leader from the panchayat.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leadership finds the UDF election manifesto, which was projected as an exclusive one last time, as the best example to expose the administrative failures. “Not even a single project was fully completed the way they campaigned. The Grasim land in Mavoor still remains idle. Community reserve status for the Mavoor wetlands is in limbo,” they said.
“The UDF is fielding the same candidates, including the incumbent president and vice president, which will definitely be an advantage for us,” says V. Sreeja, an LDF member in the panchayat.
She says those who come to Mavoor can see the incomplete mini-auditorium, which is now projected as one of the main achievements. The same is the state of road and drinking water projects in the area, she remarks.
