KOCHI: With the three major political fronts — LDF, UDF and BJP — finalising their candidates for the upcoming byelection to Kochi Corporation, election fever has gripped the Gandhi Nagar division. Posters and banners of candidates dot every nook and corner of the division for the bypoll, which is scheduled to be held on December 7. The by-election was necessitated following the death of CPI(M) councillor KK Sivan.
PD Martin, a former welfare standing committee chairperson of the corporation, who lost to Sivan last time, has been fielded by the UDF to wrest the seat. The LDF has fielded Sivan’s wife, Bindu Sivan, as its candidate. The BJP has fielded PG Manoj Kumar, Ernakulam assembly constituency president of the party, as its candidate.
Though the division is considered a stronghold of LDF, recent election results show that the front is gradually losing its grip, with Sivan winning by a margin of only 115 votes. Former councillor Poornima Narayan could register a victory in the 2015 local body election with a majority of 849 votes. The trend forced the party leadership not to field former councillor Sojan Antony in the division.
“We are not just sticking to the sentimental issue alone. The work done in the previous year is sufficient for the public to understand the benefits of having a CPI(M) councillor,” said a CPI(M) leader. Meanwhile, the Congress that started the campaign a month ago is confident of registering victory in the division. “Most of the residents in Gandhi Nagar belong to the Latin Catholic community. Martin belongs to Syrian Catholic community. If they remain secular in their choice of candidate, the Congress will have a chance to win,” said a source in the UDF.
The BJP is also confident of clinching more votes. The pathetic state of the KSRTC bus station is a real example of how both fronts treated the public throughout these years. We hope we can make a difference this time,” said a senior leader of the BJP.