The Hindu : Kerala News : Campaigning picking up in Kasaragod

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 07, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Campaigning picking up in Kasaragod

By K.P. Pushparaj

KASARAGOD, APRIL 6. Election campaigning by the main candidates in the Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency has picked up momentum, with the Congress nominee joining the campaign trail at a United Democratic Front (UDF) poll convention last week.

The candidates of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had launched door-to-door campaigning much earlier and are now busy meeting the voters individually and collectively.

The Kasaragod constituency comprises seven Assembly constituencies, viz. Manjeswar, Kasaragod, Udma, Hosdrug, Thrikkarippur, Payyannur and Taliparamba.

The LDF candidate, P. Karunakaran's campaign managers claim that they completed three rounds of squad work in the constituency by March-end. The BJP candidate, V. Balakrishna Shetty, also launched his campaign a fortnight ago. His campaign managers say they have completed one round of squad work and the second phase has begun. Though a late-starter, the UDF candidate, N.A. Muhammed, is confident of catching up with his rivals. The electioneering is expected to go full steam after the Easter and Vishu holidays.

The support of the former district panchayat president and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader, C. Ahmed Kunhi, who joined the CPI(M) recently, and M. Ramanna Rai, a CPI(M) strongman and former MP, is expected to give a boost to the LDF campaign.

However, a vertical division in the Indian National League (INL), with a section opposing the party's support to the LDF, may not only split the INL votes in the constituency between the LDF and the UDF but also affect the spirit of the LDF campaigning. While a section of the INL is behind the LDF candidate, a prominent youth leader and his associates in the party are working for the victory of the UDF candidate. The campaigning by both the UDF and the BJP, highlighting the "non-performance" by the former MP, T. Govindan, in the overall development of the constituency despite representing it twice, is also a dampener for the LDF.

While the LDF candidate promises the electorate a permanent solution to the drinking water crisis and neglect by Railways, the UDF candidate appeals to the voters to give the Front a chance this time to solve their long-pending problems.

The election campaigning is not trouble-free for the UDF also. However, the last-minute unity among the Congress leadership and cadres has given the UDF campaign managers breathing space. Rumours that the former MP, I. Ramarai, who was denied the ticket, would stage a rebellion were dispelled when he attended the UDF election convention at the Town Hall here last week. The switching over of Mr. Kunhi to the other camp is also likely to affect the poll prospects of the UDF in the Kannada belt of the constituency. Besides, a section of the IUML leadership is dissatisfied with the election of the Local Self-Government Minister, Cherkalam Abdulla, as president of the district unit of the party, ousting the senior leader, K.S. Abdualla. However, the vertical divide in the INL would help the UDF find some young and influential INL leaders to campaign for N.A. Muhammed, better known as NA, and get a good number of votes for him.

The BJP candidate would try to win the votes of the Kannada-Bhat-Brahimin trio, concentrated in Kasaragod town and areas bordering Karnataka. Only the BJP has pitted a candidate belonging to the language minority community in the dual-language speaking constituency. The BJP will make efforts to win as many votes as possible, Manjeswar in particular.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala