Kerala - Kozhikode   

Rival fronts thrash out poll strategies

Kozhikode: The constituents of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) have put their party apparatus in election mode for the local body polls slated for October 23 and 25.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has worked out its strategy to retain power in the 75-member City Corporation Council, giving itself a head start by organising conventions and door-to-door campaigns.

Local leaders have completed distribution of booklets on the achievements of the civic body in the past five years.

Newcomer for Mayor

Discussions are on for choosing candidates, especially as 50 per cent of the seats have been reserved for women and three adjoining grama panchayats have been added to the Corporation. The post of Mayor has been reserved for women. The party plans to give a new-comer the post if it wins a majority.

Mayor M. Bhaskaran is unlikely to contest. He has communicated his reluctance to the party leaders, as he has been contesting the council elections since 1978, except in 1995. It is likely that this district secretariat member of the party will be elevated to the post of district secretary or fielded in the Assembly elections next year, party sources said.

Guidance

The CPI(M) leaders believe that Mr. Bhaskaran will be able to guide the party to victory if he is in the fray in the Corporation elections. Besides, his presence in the council will be helpful considering his experience.

The party knows that the bureaucracy will take over the reins of municipal governance without such experienced leaders in the council. Hence, Deputy Mayor P.T. Abdul Latheef, P. Divakaran and Meladi Narayanan will be fielded again.

But new faces will also be included.

At present, the LDF partners have not reached a consensus on seat-sharing, particularly with the merged panchayats of Beypore, Cheruvannur-Nallalam and Elathur.

The CPI, the Janata Dal (S), the Nationalist Congress Party ( NCP) and the Congress(S) will be given seats.

The UDF is yet to reach a consensus on seat-sharing. Preliminary discussions have reposed faith in the accord reached among the constituents in the previous elections. However, this time, the Socialist Janata (Democratic), led by M.P. Veerendrakumar, will have to be accommodated.

The Congress had contested 37 of the 55 seats and given the Indian Union Muslim League, 16 in the previous elections.

The Communist Marxist Party and the Kerala Congress (M) were also provided seats.

Formula in the making

The Congress is working out a formula to field members of the now-defunct Democratic Indira Congress-Karunakaran (DIC-K).

The option before these loyalists of K. Muraleedharan is to contest on the “Hand” symbol, though the former KPCC president is yet to re-enter the Congress, a senior leader said.

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