Kerala - Kozhikode   

Council election: parties step up campaigning

Biju Govind

LDF highlights gains; UDF `charge sheet' on anvil

KOZHIKODE: Unmindful of Onam festivities and irritant drizzles, parties have stepped up campaigning for the elections to the 55-member Council of the Corporation.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is way ahead of its rivals in starting house-to-house campaign and family get-togethers at all the division of the Corporation.

In 12 divisions, the front is in tactical alliance with the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran). It is also in the process of bringing out its election manifesto in a couple of days.

CPI (M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate a public meeting on September 13, though the LDF's full-fledged campaign will begin only after Onam.

"Basically, we are banking on our achievements of the Council in the last five years. It has spend nearly Rs. 100 crores excluding grants and financial assistance from other agencies for development activities in the city. On an average, Rs 1 crore has been spend exclusively for a division," said M. Bhaskaran, Standing Committee Chairman for Health, who is contesting from the Karuvassery division.

Mr. Bhaskaran, newly elevated to District Secretariat, said that the Council had improved the basic amenities for the citizens after obtaining feedback from them. Implementation of the model solid waste management project has bolstered the image of the present Council. Two Janaseva Kendras, one at the Corporation Office and the other at Mofussil Bus Station, have been a boon for the people to remit taxes in an easy manner.

Likewise, the computerisation of the registration of births and deaths is another achievement. After sorting out its seat-sharing uncertainties, the United Democratic Front (UDF) campaigning has also picked up with candidates distributing leaflets at residential areas and colonies.

Next week, it is planning to bring out an election manifesto as well as a "charge sheet" against the Council, said C. Abdurehiman, an Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) candidate.

Its main election plank is that the LDF Council had failed in all spheres in dealing with the requirements of the people such as even constructing proper drains. Water logging has become one of the major problems facing the residents. Lack of slaughterhouse is another bane of the city. Nothing has been done to improve the condition of comfort stations too, its candidates allege at house meetings.

As part of its campaign, the DCC has chalked out strategies to rope in Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to address a public meeting on September 17 and the former Chief minister A.K. Antony on September 22.

The BJP, which has put the highest number of candidates (41), is concentrating on some of the divisions particularly Puthiyangadi, Thiruvannur and Paroppadi. The party's lone member K.Krishnan is not in the fray this time. However, it has nominated a former councillor Pankajam Paikatt for a division reserved for women.

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