It will be a record, either way

Never has he been vilified so much in his more than half-a-century of political life.

K.M. Mani

Pala is inching towards a record. Whatever be the result, it will be a record. If the United Democratic Front (UDF) wins, it will give K.M. Mani yet another record in his political career, as it will be the 13th consecutive win for him from the same constituency. And if any one of the other candidates happens to win, it will be yet another kind of record.

This election Mr. Mani has a personal score to settle. Never has he been vilified so much in his more than half-a-century of political life. His trump card is the vast personal connections he has earned during the past half-a-century and the Karunya project which has given a personal healing touch to thousands of lives.

“People know him. And we have a strong party machinery to carry on with the campaign,” said one of his managers. For them, it is business as usual.

Left Democratic Front candidate Mani C. Kappan, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) nominee, is taking on Mr. Mani for the second consecutive time. He had brought down the margin to 5,259 votes in the 2011 election. “This time I have the full support of P.C. George and also members of the Kerala Congress (Democratic),” he says. He is harping on local issues such as the outstanding arrears to be paid from two cooperative societies, which, according to him, has affected over 3,000 families.

Meanwhile, the BJP has fielded N. Hari, its district chief to take on Mr. Mani. “Like earlier times, this time too Mr. Mani has selected his opponent from the UDF. However, we are giving a serious political fight,” Mr. Hari said. According to him, there is a whole different world in Pala which neither the UDF nor the LDF will like to project.

“You must visit the colonies and settlements where human beings are leading a life worse than that of animals. Big families are forced to live in single room hutments,” he said. The alienated segments will stand by him, he said.

The constituency has a dominant Christian population which constitutes nearly 38 per cent, while the Ezhava and Nair communities are nearly evenly divided with a marginal dominance of the Ezhava community. So far one of the key elements in Mr. Mani’s win has been the voting pattern of SNDP Yogam members at Meenachil, with whom Mr. Mani has kept good relations. Their voting pattern this time will be a key element in deciding the final outcome.