The Hindu : Kerala News : Political issues matter more here

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Saturday, Apr 24, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Political issues matter more here

By Mohamed Nazeer

KANNUR, APRIL 23. The public mood is still placid in the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency, but it can by no means be construed as the electorate's apathy to elections. With the candidates and their campaign managers sweating it out in the day for wooing voters and planning their strategies late into the night, campaigning is gradually picking up momentum here. It is expected to reach a hectic pace and cross the decibel limits in the next few days.

Neither the LDF candidate, A.P. Abdullakutty, nor the UDF candidate, Mullappally Ramachandran, does or say anything that betrays their distinct apprehensions and concerns even as they enter the crucial phase on their campaign trail. While both of them try to put up an air of confidence, the BJP nominee, O.K. Vasu, leaves no stone unturned in his campaign to mobilise votes to demonstrate his party's relative strength in the constituency.

Both Mr. Abdullakutty, who won the 1999 Parliament election, and Mr. Ramachandran, who lost it after winning the seat in five successive elections since 1984, pin their hopes on their goodwill among the public and, of course, their contributions to the constituency during their tenure as MPs. The electorate, for its part, has so far not sent out any signal that gives any room for any kind of prediction.

Mr. Abdullakutty, who snatched the seat from Mr. Ramachandran in the last election with a margin of 10,000-odd votes, has the advantage of meeting more voters individually and addressing more street-corner meetings than his rival owing to his early start. During his campaign meetings, he speaks of the Vajpayee Government's economic policies, the BJP's Hindutva agenda, groupism in the Congress and the UDF Government's `poor' performance. He highlights his utilisation of the MP's Local Area Development Scheme for various welfare schemes and infrastructure in the constituency. The LDF campaign machinery makes good use of parody songs to banter the new-found unity in the Congress.

The LDF works out its strategy on the belief that the infighting in the Congress has left large numbers of UDF supporters in frustration. This would be expressed in the form of votes for the LDF candidate, according to Mr. Abdullakutty's campaign managers.

It is also hoped that he can mobilise more votes from the minority communities, which are traditionally inclined towards the UDF. ``Though Congress followers are secular, Congress leaders could not be trusted,'' Mr. Abdullakutty tells the voters in his election speeches.

Despite the initial laid-back mood of the UDF campaigners, Mr. Ramachandran's campaign managers are happy that there is no visible anti-UDF resentment among the people. The good response to the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony's Navodhana Yatra in the constituency has boosted the morale of the candidate and the UDF rank and file. Restoration of political peace in this volatile district is the centrepiece of the UDF's campaign themes. ``The people of Kannur cannot forget that the A.K. Antony Government has brought peace to Kannur,'' repeats Mr. Ramachandran in meeting after meeting.

The UDF campaigners also seek to highlight Mr. Ramachandran's clean image and his distancing from groupism in the Congress. The candidate never leaves a campaign meeting without harshly attacking the BJP and making an innuendo against the CPI(M). ``The Congress has never made any kind of acquaintance with Hindutva apologists,'' he says emphasising his commitment to secularism. He also has in his kitty claims about his contributions to the development of the region during his long stint as the MP from the constituency.

Election pundits here list some of the factors that may influence the outcome of the election this time. One of them is the hard work put in by the BJP to garner maximum number of votes. The BJP candidate netted 30,511 votes in 1996 and the party's vote share rose to 42,760 votes in 1998. In the last election, when a non-BJP leader was fielded in the constituency on the NDA ticket, he polled 26,069 votes. Whose vote share will come down if Mr. Vasu manages to pocket more votes is a question being asked in political circles here.

The second major factor is the presence of the C.K. Janu-led Rashtriya Mahasabha candidate, Sreeraman Koyyon, in the poll arena. According to conventional wisdom, if Mr. Koyyon succeeds in securing a large number of Adivasi votes in the North Wayanad segment of the constituency in this first post-Muthanga election, that would make a dent in the UDF vote share in this UDF stronghold. The CPI(M)-sponsored Adivasi Kshema Samiti and some Sangh Parivar organisations too are active in the Adivasi belt. There is no doubt that all the key players in this battle will give special attention to North Wayanad.

The developmental backwardness of the region, the crisis that has befallen traditional sectors, the closure of industrial units such as the Thiruvepathy Mills and Western India Cottons Ltd. and the proposed Kannur airport project are among the issues raised by all the three major candidates during their campaign meetings. None of them misses any chance to do some grandstanding on these issues in a bid to outwit his rivals. But ultimately, it is the political issues being raised by the contestants that make substantial influence on the electorate in this politically sensitive constituency.

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