While the United Democratic Front (UDF) treats the new Corporation of Kannur as its comfortable turf, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) places its confidence on a range of factors, including anti-incumbency and dissension in the UDF.
Going by the aggressive electioneering, the election to the Corporation is treated as prestigious one. The issues that are highlighted on the campaign front included lack of proper drainage, waste treatment, narrow roads and traffic congestion, among others.
The UDF refers to them along with projects to be taken up if they win the Corporation, while the LDF points to them as failures of the UDF that had monopolised the municipal council since its inception. The BJP uses it to blame both the LDF and the UDF.
‘‘The maiden Corporation council will be ruled by the LDF,” says CPI(M) leader M. Prakashan. In addition to the people’s ‘outrage’ against the State and Central governments, the ‘developmental stagnation’ in the Kannur town and nearby areas despite decades of the UDF rule in the outgoing municipality will be unfavourable to the UDF, he notes.
The new Corporation has been formed by merging Puzhathi, Pallikkunnu, Edakkad, Chelora, and Elayavur panchayats with the Kannur municipality. The traditional edge of the UDF in the municipality, Puzhathi, and Pallikkunnu panchayats is what the UDF pins its electoral hopes on.
However, the presence of rebel candidates in some of the Corporation divisions is a factor to be reckoned with. Congress rebel candidates are contesting against Congress leader Suma Balakrishnan, UDF’s mayoral candidate, and T.O. Mohanan, vice chairman of the municipality.
“The UDF is on a strong footing in the Corporation,” says District Congress Committee president K. Surendran. Rebel problem is not new to the UDF, he notes and adds that the UDF is united in the Corporation. The town witnessed lot of development over the past decades when the municipality was controlled by the UDF, he says adding that lot more can be done.
The BJP has fielded its candidates in 52 of the 55 divisions in the Corporation and is backing three SNDP Yogam candidates.
The party also wants to makes it presence felt in the new Corporation. Also in the fray are smaller parties such as the Welfare Party and the Social Democratic Party of India contesting in areas with sizable Muslim population. The extent of the electoral skills of these parties to make a dent in the IUML’s support base in the Corporation will be keenly observed.
Issues that are highlighted on the campaign front include lack of proper drainage, waste treatment, narrow roads and traffic congestion.
