Anxiety, relief, disappointment and joy as Lok Sabha polls come to end

It was a shocker for many when result trends of Attingal constituency started favouring Adoor Prakash Everyone was talking about the fall of three-time MP A Sampath. 
Jubilant UDF workers celebrating their victory in the Lok Sabha elections at  Mar Ivanios College at Nalanchira in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday | B P Deepu
Jubilant UDF workers celebrating their victory in the Lok Sabha elections at  Mar Ivanios College at Nalanchira in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday | B P Deepu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At 7.20 am, in front of Mar Ivanios Vidya Nagar, the counting centre of Thiruvananthapuram and Attingal parliamentary constituencies, Attingal UDF candidate Adoor Prakash, K S Sabarinathan MLA and other Congress leaders in the capital city were having a quick discussion to preview the results.

Both tension and confidence were evident on the face of Prakash before moving to his residence to view the results. Attingal BJP candidate Shobha Surendran was keen on addressing the media about her expectations. She said a section of the media was sidelining the BJP in the state in a big way. 

When the clock struck 8, the front area of the centre was guarded by the police to ensure foolproof security. Only media persons were allowed to be present there and all of them took out their smartphones to view the results through live web streaming. 

The policemen were no different as they were also eager to know the initial trends. When the counting of postal votes started, BJP candidate of Thiruvananthapuram constituency Kummanam Rajasekharan was leading initially.

The media persons who favoured the saffron party got excited, saying ‘Kummanam will win’ as it is for the first time a BJP candidate was leading in postal votes. But things started changing. UDF candidate Shashi Tharoor took the lead and the majority of the candidate began increasing slowly and steadily. In fact, there was no looking back for the two-time MP. 

At 10.30 am, the microphone announcement came, declaring the first round results. Tharoor was leading after securing a lead of 1,732 votes. 

The BJP activists who were found scattered near the roads and restaurants near the counting centre were confident of Kummanam’s ‘strong comeback’. However, no party workers of the Congress or the CPM were spotted near the centre as they were busy watching live results on television at the KPCC office and their respective residences. 

It was a shocker for many when the result trends of Attingal constituency started favouring Adoor Prakash. More than his lead, everyone was talking about the fall of three-time MP A Sampath. Then, two more announcements came from the counting centre detailing the results of the second and third rounds at 11.30 am and 12.15 pm respectively.

At 12.30 pm, the press photographers who awaited outside the centre suddenly heard slogans from Congress party workers congratulating Tharoor and Prakash. They began waving the tricolour flag of the INC even though 40 per cent of votes were counted till then. 

Slowly, the road to Mar Ivanios Vidya Nagar was abuzz with activity as people clad in khadi shirts and dhotis started rushing in after confirming a UDF wave in the state. Around 2 pm, more Congress activists gathered in front of the gate, raising slogans favouring Rahul Gandhi, A K Antony, Oommen Chandy and against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Kummanam.  

By that time, the BJP workers waiting for a maiden win looked disappointed and tried to evade camera clicks. Meanwhile, CPM workers were hardly spotted near the centre and a few of the counting agents were seen desperate coming outside.

A woman Congress party worker blamed Pinarayi Vijayan’s dictatorial rule for the rout of the Left front in the polls. “It is the answer of people to Pinarayi for his one-man show,” she said. The party workers later invited Tharoor and Prakash to the counting centre to start a roadshow.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com