People of the Pala Assembly constituency head to polling booths on Monday to cast their votes, the second time this year, in a byelection that has assumed a State-wide significance.
For, the constituency where elections used to be a simple, straight fight between K.M. Mani and others is now witnessing a close two-cornered race between the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF). And it goes without saying that the campaign this time around was high octane with all the major contenders, including the National Democratic Alliance, stepping up political heat against one another towards the fag end, also bringing in a fair share of controversies.
While the charged atmosphere looked set to sustain till the last minute, the final day on Sunday was relatively calm with the coalitions busy reviewing their preparedness and candidates undertaking whirlwind tours across the constituency.
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Jose Tom Pulikkunnel, the UDF's candidate, on Sunday kicked off his campaign after offering prayer at the Bharananganam Church. The focus of his campaign on the final day was centred on the Meenachil and Mutholi panchayats, where he tried meeting maximum number of voters in person.
LDF candidate Mani C. Kappan too spent the day to reach out to the maximum number of voters in and around the Pala town, Meenachil, Karoor and Elikkulam panchayats. He attended a few religious and cultural events, besides spending time with his friends and their families.
The final day of campaigning for N. Hari, the NDA candidate, was primarily centred around various temples beginning from the Vellapadu temple in Pala town. During the day, he also attended a few functions, met various community leaders, besides visiting election booths in different locations.
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The UDF counts on riding on the wave of sympathy for the late K.M. Mani and the anti-incumbency against the LDF to extend its victory margin by 25,000 votes. The LDF, on the other hand, looks to buck the trend by making the most of the factional strife within the Kerala Congress (M) and win by a margin between 5,000 and 10,000 votes.
The NDA, meanwhile, hopes to turn the tide in its favour on the various welfare schemes introduced by its government at the Centre. The coalition also expects the presence of P.C. Thomas and P.C. George, two former Kerala Congress leaders, during the campaign will help draw more votes to its candidate from certain pockets.
The outcome in Pala, according to observers, will also have a bearing on the poll-preparedness of the three coalitions during the byelections to be held in five Assembly constituencies next month.