UDF offers spirited fight in Left bastions in Kollam

Kollam: As the election is just five days ahead, the four constituencies on the eastern part of the district, touted to be Left bastions, are witnessing a spirited fight. However, the electorate here are giving hints that political convictions will ultimately prevail over propaganda and the smartness of the candidates and efficacy of the campaign alone would not prompt them to change their preferences.
While the constituencies of Kottarakkara and Pathanapuram have shifted favours giving weightage to the candidates time to time, Chadayamangalam and Punalur have always been known for its Left leanings.P Aisha Potty of the CPM rewrote history by emerging as the giant killer by defeating R Balakrishna Pillai in 2006. Kottarakkara tilted further towards the Left when Pillai’s KC (B) joined the LDF in 2016.
Along with it, Pathanapuram from where Pillai’s son K B Ganesh Kumar was getting elected for the last four consecutive terms, also joined the Left fold.
It was against this backdrop that the UDF fielded new faces like M M Nazeer from Chadayamangalam against CPI’s central committee member J Chinchurani and Congress‘s R Resmi from Kottarakakra against CPM candidate K N Balagopal, Jyothikuamr Chamakkala against K B Ganesh Kumar and Abdul Rehman Randathani of the IUML against P S Supal of the CPI at Punalur.
Probably for the first time since Ganesh Kumar started the triumphant journey 20 years ago, Pathanapuram is witnessing a spirited fight with Jyothikumar trying to make inroads. However, Kumar questions the very logic of criticism against his work on the development front.
“Anywhere you go in my constituency, within a distance of 250 meters you can see at least one development project I have brought in,” a confident Kumar says.
Chamakkala is pointing out that the incumbent MLA could not set up a taluk headquarters hospital as promised in his 2016 manifesto. But Kuamr counters this with showing the GO sanctioning Rs 74.80 crore from the KIIFB fund for the project.
BJP’s Jithin Dev is also actively campaigning to increase the NDA vote share.
Chadayamangalam, a Left bastion, has tilted towards the UDF only once when Prayaar Gopalakrishnan got elected in 2001. But since 2006 Mullakkara Ratnakaran had been winning from here consecutively for three terms. UDF candidate M M Nazeer is promising the formation of a taluk with Chadayamangalam as its headquarters.
“This time people will vote for a change. The rift in the CPI and the hurt sentiments of the devotees of Lord Ayyappa would come to one head against the LDF,” he hopes.
However, there are not many takers to the UDF’s claim of winning the seat. “There may be rift in the CPI over the denial of seat to A Musthafa, the popular local leader. But it is unlikely to unsettle the LDF here,” Abdul Kareem, who runs a public distribution shop under Supplyco in Chadayamangalam town said.
BJP’s Vishnu Pattathanam has been able to put up a good fight here. “There are chances for BJP to emerge as the runner up here,” G Hari, a former district functionary of the BJP, exudes confidence.
In Punalur, CPI’s P S Supal, who represented the constituency twice from 1996 to 2006, has already made a perceptible sway over the voters making the fight difficult to Randathani. Ayoor Murali is the NDA candidate here.
In Kottarakakra, UDF’s R Resmi is giving a vigorous fight to CPM strong man K N Balagopal. BJP’s Vayakkal Soman is also eyeing to bring the votes share above 40,000 this time. The efficacy of the campaign and smartness of the candidates will determine their fate this time as all the three main contestants belong to the same community.
Balagopal, a former Rajya Sabha member and former district secretary of the CPM, has close connect with the people here. But Resmi, who was elected to the district panchayat twice from Kulakkda division with a huge margin has already struck a chord with the people.
“I am connected to the ordinary people. I am confident of the victory as voters cutting across party lines will vote for me,” she claims.
Though she sounds confident, it may be noted that Aisha Potty had garnered a majority of over 40,000 votes in 2016.