Even as the three major alliances enter the final round of discussions on seat-sharing, poll fever has started gripping the Assembly constituencies Pala and Poonjar with the entry of its sitting legislators into the election scene.
In Poonjar, the Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) [(KJ(S)] has already announced the candidature of P.C. George, MLA, in the upcoming assembly elections and kick-started electioneering.
Graffitis and posters seeking votes for the veteran legislator have surfaced in different parts of the constituency while Mr. George has embarked on a door-to-door interaction programme.
“Meetings at the booth-level are on while I have also begun reaching out to voters at a personal level. The response has been too good, and the party is hopeful of raising its lead to around 35,000 votes this time,” said Mr.George.
The focus of the next phase of campaign, according to him, would be decided during a meeting of the party secretariat in Kottayam on Wednesday. The meeting, to be attended by the key office-bearers of the party, will also announce the stance of KJ(S) on various issues ahead of the upcoming election.
With the United Democratic Front already shelving an earlier proposal to take Mr.George on board, Poonjar is likely to witness a gritty four-way fight once again. There are, however, some reports now emerging about the KJ (S) holding discussions with the BJP-led National Development Alliance.
In Pala, Mani C. Kappan, MLA, who seeks re-election as a UDF candidate, has got to work with posters and graffitti works. As part of the reaching out to the voters, he is slated to hold a series of meetings with the voters from Wednesday onward.
The programme, according to Mr.Kappan, seeks to draw up guidelines for the development projects to be implemented in Pala over the next five years.
“As many as 100 rounds of discussions on development related issues will be held across the 13 local bodies in Pala as part of the programme, which will continue till March 16,” he said.
The Left Democratic Front, though yet to announce its candidate in the all-important constituency, too has shifted to the electioneering mode with a rally led by the Kerala Congress (M) Chairman Jose K. Mani.
With Mr.Mani likely to be fielded as the LDF candidate, Pala is bracing for a high-voltage contest this time.
Meanwhile, campaigning is yet to commence in other constituencies across Central Kerala primarily due to the delay in completing the seat-sharing talks and finalising the candidates. The parties, however, have completed preparations at the organisational level.
