Kerala   

LDF basking in past glory

RANNI: The hill tract of Ranni is in election mood. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has launched a full-throttle mission to recapture the constituency it had lost to the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) some 15 years ago. The Congress has fielded the former State Planning Board member, Peelipose Thomas, to stop CPI(M) MLA Raju Abraham's march to the legislature for a fourth consecutive term. Suresh Kadambari, an activist with strong RSS moorings, is the BJP candidate. V.D. Sajimon (BSP), Ibrahimkutty (SDPI), Ulakan Thevan and S. Radhakrishnan, both Independents, are also in the fray.

Nine of the 12 grama panchayats here are being controlled by the UDF and two by the LDF, while the Kerala Congress(M) and the CPI(M) share power at Kottangal.

Addition of three grama panchayats, Ezhumattoor, Kottanad and Kottangal from the erstwhile Kallooppara constituency, Ayroor panchayat from the erstwhile Pathanamthitta constituency and Cherukol from Aranmula constituency, following delimitation, has strengthened the UDF position in Ranni.

1.75 lakh voters

Ranni houses 1,75,731 voters comprising 1,02,934 women, 90,225 men, 384 service voters and 62 non-resident Keralites. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Congress got a majority of 16,000 votes from the Ranni Assembly segment alone. But in the local body elections, the lead was 8,500 votes.

Mr. Abraham's campaign is mainly centred on the welfare measures he had initiated in the constituency in the past 15 years. Ranni, situated on the forest fringes of Pathanamthitta district, now houses offices of almost all departments. “Even its remotest corners have road network. Work on the civil station and the new taluk hospital block has begun,” he said.

The UDF counters the MLA's claims, terming them “humbug.” Mr. Thomas flays the MLA's “failure” to ensure utilisation of the forest land allotted for Sabarimala development at Nilackal and in the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

“Ranni, which houses Sabarimala and its base camps, suffered due to the failure the State government in implementing the Centrally-sponsored Pampa Action Plan,” Mr. Thomas alleged. “Vote for change” is the slogan raised by the UDF in Ranni. The presence of Joseph M. Puthusserry, sitting MLA of erstwhile Kallooppara segment, has added a special verve to the UDF camp in Ranni.

The BJP too has stepped up its campaign to improve its vote tally. BJP has polled 8,199 votes in the last Lok Sabha polls from the segment while its vote share in the local body polls was 8,261.

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