The Hindu : Janu, Geethanandan may contest polls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 23, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Janu, Geethanandan may contest polls

By Our Special Correspondent

KOCHI, FEB. 22 . C.K. Janu, Adivasi leader and president of the recently-launched Rashtriya Mahasabha, is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections.

The key architect of the Mahasabha, M. Geethanandan is also likely to contest the elections.

The party has zeroed in on the constituencies to field the two leaders and a formal announcement is likely shortly. The Rashtriya Mahasabha -- an amalgamation of about 40 Adivasi and Dalit groupings, mainly the Janu-led Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha -- has also decided to go in for selective electoral understanding with some constituents of the LDF, such as the CPI and the JSS.

The senior leaders of the party, who have been blueprinting the infant party's political strategies here over the past few days, told The Hindu that the party wanted to make use of the excitement built up for the February 19 party launch for the electoral baptism.

Though a section of the party was not very keen on plunging into the electoral fray even before an organisational mechanism was in place, the leadership finally decided to go in for the electoral battle. By entering the electoral scene right away, it was argued, the party could make its political presence felt apart from keeping up the momentum created by the first anniversary of the Muthanga agitation.

Participants at the pre-launch convention of the Mahasabha, held here recently, had suggested that Ms. Janu and Mr. Geethanandan contest the Lok Sabha elections in order to take forward the party's agenda of becoming a "community-based political pressure group."

Since Ms. Janu and Mr. Geethanandan were reckoned the icons of the Adivasi struggle and are the public faces of the resurgent Adivasi-Dalit identity, they could be fielded in the Lok Sabha elections to test the political waters, they said.

At a news conference here on Saturday, Ms. Janu and Mr. Geethanandan had said the Mahasabha had identified six possible constituencies to contest: Idukki, Muvattupuzha, Adoor, Kottayam, Kozhikode and Kannur.

In these constituencies, there was significant numbers of Adivasi and Dalit votes. However, as a political strategy, the Mahasabha is focussing its attention on central Kerala.

One main reason for this is the availability of educated and committed Adivasi and Dalit youths whose services could be utilised. The Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha, the main sponsor of the party, has an organisational framework in the central districts.

Of the six identified constituencies, Kozhikode and Kannur are not expected to be very favourable -- Kannur, because of the CPI(M)'s hostility to the party president, C.K. Janu (Ms. Janu is a former CPI(M) activist): and, Kozhikode because of the lack of room for manoeuvring in the two-front political equations there.

The LDF has already announced its candidates in these two constituencies: CPI(M)'s A.P. Abdullakutty in Kannur and Janata Dal (S)'s M.P. Veerendrakumar.

The Mahasabha is interested in Idukki and Muvattupuzha constituencies not just because both have significant Adivasi-Dalit population, but because of the room for manoeuvring there.

Muvattupuzha will definitely see a three-cornered contest among LDF, UDF and the BJP-supported IFDP candidate, P.C. Thomas.

The competition between the two Kerala Congress parties and the rift between the Orthodox and Jacobite factions in the Malankara Church are the other considerations.

The church rivalry and the Kerala Congress hostilities would matter in Idukki too. The party could also attract a sizable number of young activists in the high ranges.

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