The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Permanent fixture in Congress poll plans

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Friday, Nov 04, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Permanent fixture in Congress poll plans

N.J. Nair

LUCKY CHARM OR UTILITY VALUE?: Elanjickal Bungalow, near the Secretariat, is barely visible through the Congress campaign material for the Lok Sabha byelection. — Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Elanjickal Bungalow, near the Secretariat, has once again become a beehive of activity. The bungalow, a choicest haunt of Congress leaders and workers when Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are held in the capital, has turned lively with the announcement of the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha byelection.

The imposing building, on an acre of land, now houses the election committee office of the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate, V.S. Sivakumar, keeping alive its Congress tradition. Leaders and activists of the front have begun trooping to the bungalow, which will become livelier when the polling day is near.

It was B. Vijayakumar, MLA, who first took the house as the election committee office when he contested to the Assembly from Thiruvananthapuram East in 1996. He selected the house since it was easy for party workers to assemble there. Located at the centre of the city, the bungalow is easily accessible. Mr. Vijayakumar won with an impressive margin, and he chose it again in the 2001 Assembly election.

When the former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran contested to the Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram as the Congress candidate, this house was one of the main offices of the UDF. Mr. Sivakumar too opted for the bungalow for his debut contest to the Lok Sabha, which he won with a comfortable majority.

"I got the bungalow for the UDF election committee office through my friend G. Balachandran in Alappuzha, and later on, it became one of the favourite places of all candidates contesting to the Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram and the Assembly from [Thiruvananthapuram] East. The bungalow seems to be a lucky joint for the Congress candidates. Even when Shiva Kumar lost the previous Lok Sabha election, he could emerge as the runner-up in spite of the intense group squabbles in the party. It is not just luck alone; we go in for the bungalow as a matter of convenience," Mr. Vijayakumar says.

Down memory lane

Though the bungalow belongs to the family of the late E. John Philippose, a former Minister, it is being looked after by A.K. Oommen, a relative of the family who lives in the neighbourhood.

According to Mr. Oommen, a former engineer with the Kerala State Electricity Board, the house, almost a century-old, has a strong Congress tradition. Mr. Vijayakumar and he say that the first meeting of the State Congress was held in the bungalow.

"It was my grandfather, V.P. Abraham, who bought the land from a British lady, then popularly known as `Blanket Madamma' in the city. During my childhood, I had seen senior Congress leaders, Ministers and legislators coming to the bungalow once the Assembly session begins. I remember seeing Karunakaran and many other prominent leaders, including T.M. Varghese. They used to relax under the shade of a mango tree in front of the bungalow. We took pride in mingling with such senior leaders and later, boast about it among our schoolmates," Mr. Oommen says.

The bungalow will slip into dormancy once the heat and dust of election subsides, waiting for the next Assembly elections hardly six months away.

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