The Hindu : Kerala News : Minor irritants may cost contestants dear

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Minor irritants may cost contestants dear

By A. Harikumar

ALAPPUZHA, MAY 1. With the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections reaching the final phase, the only assessment that could be made about the Alappuzha constituency is the absence of any wave.

In the last lap, even minor irritants matter much for the UDF, the LDF and the BJP. The support of minor groups, local issues in various parts of the constituency, opposition to candidates from their respective camps... all have the potential to snowball into a big wave and uproot the chances of candidates in this coastal constituency.

After the staggering start, the campaign of the UDF candidate, V.M. Sudherran, who won from here three times in a row, has hit a crescendo. The ace campaigner of the UDF, the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, visited the constituency on Friday, boosting the morale of the UDF campaign managers.

The LDF candidate, K.S. Manoj, has more or less succeeded in retaining the tempo of the campaign he attained in the first phase itself. The LDF is working according to a plan and has succeeded in making Mr. Manoj, a fresh face on the poll front, familiar in all parts of the constituency. The LDF is attacking Mr. Sudheeran sharply this time, knowing well that it is his charisma that had seen him through in the previous occasions.

The BJP candidate, V. Padmanabhan, also has made his presence felt in all parts of the constituency. Like the LDF candidate, Mr Padmanabhan also hails from the fishermen community, which has a significant presence in the constituency. The number of votes Mr. Padmanabhan polls is likely to have an influence on the outcome here.

Mr. Sudheeran's candidature had an element of surprise in it as he had announced his retirement from the electoral politics much in advance. ``Mr. Sudheeran changed his stand and decided to contest following the pressure of the Congress leadership as the party wanted to ensure the seat,'' according to Mr. Antony.

Though there has been no opposition to Mr. Sudheeran's candidature from any of the groups in the Congress, a section of Congress leaders in the district are uneasy that their chances have been marred by his re-entry. Mr. Sudheeran's non-partisan attitude and his refusal to interfere on behalf of his party workers have created admirers for him among the public; but these have invited the wrath of a section of the workers. The resignation of some local leaders of the Congress from the campaign committee of Mr. Sudheeran is the result of the unrest.

The stand of Mr. Sudheeran on mineral sand-mining from the coastal areas of the district had irked the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) which holds the Industries portfolio. The absence of top IUML leaders from the campaign of Mr. Sudheeran has become conspicuous in this context. If the IUML cadre abstain from voting it would become a drawback for Mr Sudheeran.

The candidature of Mr. Manoj also has an element of surprise in it as he is not a member of the CPI(M) or a well-known personality in the constituency. While Mr. Manoj is reported to have been handpicked by some senior CPI(M) leaders, a section of leaders in the district are said to be unhappy over it. If it reflects in the election, Mr. Manoj would have a tough time.

The CPI(M) hope for the consolidation of Latin Catholic votes for Mr. Manoj has not gone awry. The Swatantra Matsya Tozhilali Federation, which comprises mostly Latin Catholic fishermen who supported the UDF in the last Assembly elections, has declared its support for Mr. Manoj. Also, the Church is not supporting the UDF as it had done before. But the Dheevara Sabha, which represents Hindu fishermen, has decided to support Mr. Sudheeran.

Going by the statements of the SNDP Yogam general secretary, Vellappally Natesan, the organisation, which used to oppose Mr. Sudheeran, seems to have developed a soft corner for Mr. Sudheeran, a member of the community, of late. But it remains to be seen how this stand would reflect in the voting as a majority of the community members are supporters of the CPI(M).

Ezhavas constitute 32 per cent of the voters in the constituency. Though the policy of the NSS is that of equidistance, the Nair community in the constituency is found to have a soft corner for the Congress and the BJP. The ability of the fronts to get their traditional voters cast their vote is also likely to influence the outcome as there is an indifference among the voters at present.

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