For many political observers, there is more to the Ernakulam bypoll than what is being played out in the constituency.
Many even feel that the October 21 bypoll would be a semi-final ahead of the local body elections due in a year as a major portion of the jurisdictional areas of the Kochi Corporation comes under the contours of the Ernakulam Assembly constituency.
Deputy Mayor
The fact that T.J. Vinod, the current Deputy Mayor of Kochi, is seeking an entry to the State legislature adds credence to the theory and campaign managers of Left Democratic Front candidate Manu Roy have been flagging the issue of urban governance.
Right from the word go, the LDF has been trying to focus on the various acts of omission and commission of the Congress-led civic administration in Kochi, which is steered by Mr. Vinod along with his party colleague and Mayor Soumini Jain.
Trial run for LDF
The LDF has utilised the bypoll as a trial run for its campaign for the local body elections and highlighted the issues faced by urban voters in the city.
With the Left front systematically raising the issue of roads and other infrastructure inadequacy in the constituency, United Democratic Front poll managers have had to work overtime to defend their party colleagues in the civic administration.
Though the past few elections had consolidated the UDF position in the constituency, care has been taken not to let complacency set in, said a UDF leader.
The front has been trying to enrol the maximum number of new voters and activating party workers in the process, he said.
On their part, LDF leaders feel that the political situation has improved for its candidate since the debilitating defeat of the last Parliament election.
The UDF leaders too attest to that theory and do not hope for a windfall this time.
However, they believe that the popularity of their candidate and the vote base of the front would ensure them a safe sailing at the hustings.
C.G. Rajagopal, the Nantional Democratic Alliance candidate and a popular face in the city, is putting in efforts to mark his name in the political history of the constituency.
