Political parties in the district are gearing up for the local body elections scheduled to be held here on November 2, as efforts are now under way to tune their organisational machinery to the election mode.
As the parties are all set to bring themselves to the challenging task of finalising candidates for elections to the district panchayat, the newly constituted Kannur Corporation that includes the existing Kannur municipality, 11 block panchayats and 81 grama panchayats, steps are already on to mobilise party workers for the electioneering that is expected to be in high decibel in this politically volatile district.
If the public campaigns and political meetings held by all the major political parties here are an indication, the parties have already synchronised their efforts to the urgency of the forthcoming election.
District Congress Committee (DCC) president K. Surendran said that the party’s formal election campaign will begin with the ‘Janaraksha Yatra’ beginning on October 5.
The three-day yatra being flagged off by KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran will highlight the party’s message that it alone can guarantee protection to people from ‘communal fascism’ of the BJP and ‘violent politics’ of the CPI(M).
The CPI(M) and the LDF for their part have already begun their election-related activities for preparing manifestos for civic elections. The manifesto for the district panchayat released on October 2 highlights separate projects in the agricultural, health, education and water supply sectors. LDF convener K.P. Sahadevan said that the initiative involves public participation in identifying developmental and civic issues.
The BJP leadership here said that their presence in the local body election this time will be more visible than it was in the past.
BJP president K. Ranjith said that unlike in the past civic body elections, this time the BJP in association with National Democratic Alliance constituents will field candidates in almost all the wards. The party is expected to make inroads in the local body elections by making use of the new political situation in the State.
The Indian Union Muslim League, which has substantial political influence in many local bodies in the district including municipalities and the Kannur Corporation, has also geared up the party machinery for the election. The party leadership has said that the party will focus on campaign against radical organisations such as the Social Democratic Party of India that it said might unleash communal propaganda to get footholds in party strongholds.
Leaders of all the parties said that the process of finalising candidates for the election is already in its crucial stage and will be completed in a week.
Congress to launch campaign with ‘Janaraksha yatra’
BJP and allies to field candidates in all wards
