THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The elections are over. It has been a few weeks of frenetic campaigning, braving all the elements. The fierce campaign saw the candidates work round the clock striving to ensure their win. T'Puram Express interacts with the candidates post the polls as they share their experience on how they intend to spend the rest of the days. When some of the candidates took a momentary break from the hectic self-imposed schedule, some decided to continue with their schedule.
C Divakaran
( T'Puram LDF candidate)
On Wednesday, Divakaran started the day easy, taking a break from the jam-packed schedule he has been religiously following the past few weeks, finally heeding what his doctor had advised him while he was on the campaign trail. The campaign days which would start early included spending hours in the sun. The day would end up well into the night when he would read through all the newspapers.
On Wednesday, he took a break from the jam-packed schedule. For him, the day after the elections is about taking complete rest and spending quality time with the family.
"There is severe pain in the body. It will go away with adequate rest. My doctor had advised not to go in the sun during the campaign period. How can one heed such an advice! I just left the doctor's place without uttering a word. I called him yesterday and have been asked to meet in person. The voice has also been affected. So a few days of rest is mandatory,” he says.
After the one day rest, Divakaran will be leaving the capital for a week and spending it at Kochi with family. It was tight electioneering, but Divakaran says he enjoyed every bit of it. “I started the campaigning much earlier than the other candidates. That did help. I like intense competitions and I am positive of winning by a comfortable margin. Afterall, this is my place, one I know like the back of my palm. So I am genuinely interested in the affairs of the people and they will ensure my win,” he says.
Sobha Surendran
( Attingal NDA candidate)
“There is no rest or break,” quips NDA candidate Sobha Surendran at the Attingal constituency. For the past four weeks Sobha has been campaigning intensely, optimistic of a win. All these days, she has been following a tight schedule, with as many as 70 or 80 daily sessions and meets. The day after the elections saw Sobha Surendran participating in review meetings.
This is set to continue for the rest of the days, until such review meetings are being held even in the block level. The coming days are also replete with meeting religious leaders and review meetings.
“I will be spending more time here in Attingal. I just see it as continuing the work which I have been carrying on in Palakkad,” says Sobha. It is the party and electioneering work that presently takes precedence. Even as her son arrived from Delhi to help in the campaigning in social media, the mother and son could never meet.
“He was here to meet with some IT experts. He had to leave in three days and I didn't even get to see him. My day would start at 8 in the morning and would reach home past midnight. We spoke over the phone, but couldnt spend time with him,” she says. "I can never think about taking rest now and the focus is on carrying with the usual procedural activities," she says. She feels that the rise in the polling rate and the increased polling by the women voters reiterates the chances of her win.
Adoor Prakash
(Attingal UDF candidate)
Ever since the party declared his candidature for the Lok Sabha elections, he has been following a tight campaigning schedule. Even as the elections are over, Adoor Prakash has no plans of taking a break. It is about continuing with the daily work, attending the needs of his beloved people in Konni. "Since I have not been at Konni during these past campaigning days, there are issues that need to be addressed. There are quite many activities that happened during my absence. So I need to look into the affairs and also I have to pay a visit to many houses," says Adoor Prakash MLA.
During the election campaign, he would wake up at 6 in the morning and be out on the campaign trail by 7. "The campaigning will be on until 1 or 2 am. That was the schedule all these days. The schedule related to electioneering is bound to change but the activities will not. I will very much be involved in the affairs of the constituency,” he says.
The schedule was taxing but taking a break isn't something he is familiar with. “It has been my routine for the past 23 years. I would leave early from home and spend the time addressing the issues at Konni. So that is set to continue post the election time. That is my style of working," he says.