ALAPPUZHA: Migrant communities not only contribute to the state’s progress but, in many wards in Kerala, also have a say in the local body polls. One of such groups is the Gujarati community, which is the oldest migrant community in the state.The community has a sizeable presence in the Sea View ward of Alappuzha municipality. Hence, parties are using the Gujarati language to woo the voters.
Poll graffiti in Gujarati have come up on a wall on Gujarati Street here. Reego Raju, the UDF candidate contesting from the ward, launched his campaign in the language. Now, LDF and NDA candidates also plan to follow suit.Dhruvkumar Pandya, a lawyer of the Kerala High Court who is a Gujarati, said the community is playing a role in the election to the ward.
“Around 25 Gujarati families live in Gujarati Street and we have around 150 votes. So, parties have started campaigning in Gujarati. Our forefathers arrived in the old port town for business. There were hundreds of families her and ours was a large community. Later, many went back to Gujarat or got settled in other parts of Kerala,” Dhruvkumar said.
Reego represented the Sea View ward between 2010 and 2015. In 2015, the ward was reserved for women and had Karoline Peter as its representative. This year, Reego is locking horns with LDF candidate Nizar and NDA candidate Vishnu Vijay.