PALAKKAD: In the border areas of Palakkad, fringe parties like the church-backed RBC and Tamil Nadu’s AIADMK have considerable influence among voters, so much so that RBC won in Vadakarapathy panchayat in the 2015 local body polls by aligning with LDF.
The RBC (Right Bank Canal) Villippunarvu Kulu (awareness committee), a civil society movement, came to limelight in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls when it decided to protest against the authorities for not addressing their demand for the extension of the right bank canal of Parambikulam-Aliyar Project to the water-starved areas of Vadakarapathy, Eruthenpathy and Kozhinjampara panchayats of Chittur taluk.
The RBC exhorted the voters in the panchayats to press the NOTA (None of the Above) button in the election. On the counting day, 10,600 NOTA votes were polled.In 2015, RBC won seven seats in Vadakarapathy and headed it by aligning with LDF. It won one seat in Eruthenpathy panchayat with LDF’s support.
In the 2016 assembly elections, RBC accused UDF of not initiating any concrete action to build the canal and called for the defeat of four-time Congress MLA K Achuthan. It supported K Krishnankutty of the JD (S), the present Water Resources Minister, who won.
“Our candidates have filed nomination papers in 10 of the 17 wards of Vadakarapathy panchayat, two of Kozhinjampara and three of Eruthenpathy. We will be fighting alongside LDF. We hope to iron out differences with regard to some wards before the last date for withdrawal of nomimnations,” said RBC leader Fr Albert Anandraj.
CPM’s A Anil Kumar, the vice-president of Vadakarapathy panchayat, who shared power with RBC, expressed displeasure at the seat-sharing talks with RBC. He said CPM and JD(S) will go at it alone if warranted. He said CPM will contest in eight wards and JD (S) in five. DCC general secretary K S Thanikachalam, who is contesting from ward 7 (Alambadi) of Kozhinjampara panchayat, won by AIADMK last time, said after the demise of J Jayalalithaa, AIADMK has weakened and its presence is not pronounced this time.
In Eruthenpathy, AIADMK candidate Saraswathi had won from Moongilmada ward. They have influence in Vannamada too. RBC is contesting in five wards, said panchayat member P Madhu of BJP who is contesting this year too.