THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As dawn broke on a lazy Sunday, LDF candidate V K Prasanth’s home in Menamkulam was witness to frenzied activities. At quarter past seven, his ride rolled into the front yard. A jam-packed day it was, and there was no time away from media and public glare. Dressed in all white, he walked into the study, happily obliging and listening to the people waiting.
A quick look through the newspapers and the call for breakfast came. His phone kept ringing at regular intervals. “Well, I am late,” he says apologetically, muting the phone. “I am normally up early. It was crazy electioneering day yesterday. I got home well into the night,” he says, as he sank into the chair for breakfast. His son Aryan and daughter Aaliya, who were hovering around, readily took up seats beside him, a rare privilege they get to indulge in these days.
Even as he started to enjoy some light moments with his kids, the camera started rolling. The day had officially begun.
Appam and stew are served. Mornings are mostly spent meeting people while roadshows are slated in the afternoons. Presently, Prasanth stays at Vattiyoorkavu as the daily commute to his home in Menamkulam can be taxing. “It is more convenient for campaigning,” he says.
For someone who is not that particular about food, the love showered by party workers by arranging food is overwhelming. “Now I have the food from party supporters’ homes and it is a very thrilling experience. For them, it is a delight,” says Prasanth.
Prasanth’s day starts at seven in the morning, which sometimes stretches well into the night. On Sunday, the focus was on meeting the devout at the churches.
The day was scheduled to begin from the Pallimukku area. Prasanth had already completed two rounds of house visits and it was his third day of the roadshow, which is set to continue till October 18. “Since we started the campaign first, we could reach out to a lot of people. The focus is on meeting people personally,” he says. “I have observed that there has been much support, that too, cutting across party lines,” he says.
The main focus will be on developing basic infrastructure facilities in Vattiyoorkavu. “The roads are in a pretty bad shape and need widening. Other aspects include addressing the water supply, drainage and sewage issues,” says Prasanth.
As he hurriedly leaves for the day, his family bade him a long goodbye. “Aaliya is used to these campaigns. But Aryan isn’t. He misses his father. So he keeps enquiring after his father,” says Raji M R, Prasanth’s wife.