With hardly a week left for the Lok Sabha polls in the State, central Kerala is witness to an intense political battle where the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front bagged three seats each in the 2014 hustings.
From Alappuzha to Thrissur, one may not find a common political thread linking the six constituencies. However, the emergence of a few factors capable of influencing the electioneering has made the poll process more interesting.
The electoral scene in Kottayam would have ended up as a mundane affair, save for the unexpected demise of Kerala Congress(M) leader K.M. Mani. It is to be seen how the “sympathy factor” has a bearing on the outcome in the constituency where Thomas Chazikadan of the KC(M) is pitted against V.N. Vasavan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
National Democratic Alliance candidate P.C. Thomas is eyeing the fault lines in the Kerala Congress (M), besides the possible polarisation of votes on the Sabarimala issue.
Suresh Gopi factor
In Thrissur, national issues dominated campaigning till NDA candidate Suresh Gopi, MP, arrived on the scene. He earned the wrath of the poll panel for invoking the Sabarimala temple deity but used it as a political plank in the campaign.
T.N. Prathapan of the Congress and Rajaji Mathew Thomas of the CPI are not willing to cede ground. Flood relief and political violence are also being discussed in the constituency.
LDF’s Joice George hopes that the Idukki special package introduced post-flood and the projects he introduced will ensure him a second consecutive win over UDF candidate Dean Kuriakose.
The High Range Samrakshana Samiti, which threw its weight behind Mr. George last time when the discussions about the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats dominated the district, has extended its support to him this time too.
A united Congress is rallying behind Mr. Kuriakose and raising the Sabarimala issue and what it terms flawed flood management to overcome the Left challenge.
Development politics
Development politics is dominating the poll scene of Alappuzha. The UDF hopes the visit of Congress president Rahul Gandhi will give an added thrust to the campaign of Shanimol Usman, whereas the LDF is banking on its six legislators to give A.M. Ariff, MLA, a term in the Lok Sabha.
The Bharatiya Janata Party hopes that K.S. Radhakrishnan, a former Congress fellow-traveller and a frontline campaigner of the Sabarimala Karma Samiti, will make it proud in Alappuzha.
Poll managers of the Congress had their hands full in Chalakudy as the party faced an unprecedented crisis in the form of a medical emergency for its candidate Benny Behannan. While Mr. Behannan was convalescing, five Congress MLAs from the region took up the campaign for the candidate. It is a political battle for Mr. Behannan, the UDF convener.
LDF candidate Innocent is seeking another term for the development projects he claims to have initiated in the constituency. A.N. Radhakrishnan, BJP general secretary, hopes the Sabarimala case and other political issues will stand him in good stead.
The LDF hopes that its candidate P. Rajeev will prove that the UDF is not invincible and the BJP is not a force to be reckoned with in Ernakulam. The Congress factions have united for the cause of Hibi Eden and hoping for a convincing victory for the UDF candidate.
NDA’s K.J. Alphons, the only Union Minister in the fray in Kerala, is steering his poll campaign focussing on the projects of the Modi government.
(With inputs from G. Krishnakumar in Kochi, Sam Paul in Alappuzha, Mini Muringatheri in Thrissur, and Hiran Unnikrishnan in Kottayam)
