Kerala - Kottayam   

Battle lines still remain unclear

K. Suresh Kurup (LDF), Jose K. Mani (UDF) and N.K. Narayanan Nampoothiri (BJP)

K. Suresh Kurup (LDF), Jose K. Mani (UDF) and N.K. Narayanan Nampoothiri (BJP)

K. Suresh Kurup (LDF), Jose K. Mani (UDF) and N.K. Narayanan Nampoothiri (BJP)

KOTTAYAM: Though weeks into the campaign, the battle lines are still hazy in Kottayam. The possibility of a vertical split in one party; entry of candidates fielded by a perceived ‘embittered’ community; squabbles in political formations or just the failure of the candidates to enthuse their political allies into election mode — all have contributed to the uneasy lethargy.

To top it all, the experienced campaign managers are saddled with the challenge of reworking their strategies to find a new winning political equilibrium, compelled by the redrawing of the contours of the constituency in the delimitation. exercise.

Kerala Congress (M) candidate Jose K. Mani got a head start in the campaigning, when his supporters embarked on the task much before his candidature was announced or even before the seat was formally allotted to the party.

The Kerala Congress(M) is fighting for a comeback after it lost its sitting seat to K. Suresh Kurup (CPI-M) in 1984. Mr Kurup is seeking his third consecutive term and this is his fifth electoral battle from Kottayam.

After initial hiccups, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has chosen N.K. Narayanan Nampoothiri, district president, as its candidate.

With a rich heritage in ‘identity’ politics and grassroots-level political movements, Kottayam has always fielded candidates with strong convictions on alternative politics. The list includes Mini K. Philip (SUCI) and Jaimon Thankachan (Samajwadi Jan Parishad). The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is considering fielding its own candidate, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has kept its options open.

After delimitation, the once compact constituency is now spread over the Kottayam and Ernakulam Revenue districts. The Kottayam Revenue district is now fragmented among the Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Mavelikara Parliament constituencies.

It comprises the Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom, Ettumanur, Kottayam, Puthuppally, Pala and Piravom Assembly segments. The constituency has lost the Changanassery Assembly segment to Mavelikara, while Vazhoor has gone. Instead, it has gained the Pala and Piravom Assembly segments from the Muvattupuzha Parliament constituency. Vaikom, Kottayam, Piravom and Kaduthuruthy are represented by the LDF.

While these changes by itself have the potential to alter the political, communal and geopolitical equations of the Parliament constituency, the delimitation exercise at the Assembly segment level, especially at Pala, Piravom, and Puthuppally, may make the situation complex for poll strategists. Puthuppally has lost the Pallickathode panchayat of Kottayam taluk to Kanjirappally, while gaining Vakathanam from Changanassery. Pala will add the Pala Municipal Town, nine panchayats of the Meenachil taluk that it earlier had and Thalappalam, Thalanad and Melukavu panchayats which were earlier with Poonjar and Elikkulam from Kanjirappally. The Piravom segment brings with it 12 new grama panchayat segments spread over Kanayannur and Muvattupuzha taluks to the Parliament segment.

The delimitation may result in a tilt in the earlier equation among various communities. The loss of Vazhoor and Changanassery may impact the forward Hindu population in the constituency, while the inclusion of Pala and Piravom will increase the dominance of minorities and backward communities. The Scheduled Tribe votes may also go up in the constituency.

Though the campaign is yet to gather momentum, the UDF will project ‘development’ as a major poll issue while the LDF will focus on secularism and minority issues. All eyes, however, are on the moves by the Nair Service Society (NSS) and the Church hierarchy.

As per the voters’ list published on January 22, 2009, there are 13,59,599 voters in the district, of which 10,81048 are in the Kottayam Parliament segment.

With 5,43,589 women and 5,37,459 men voters in the list, women outnumber men by 6,130 in the Kottayam segment.

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