Just metres from the Poornathrayeesa Temple in Tripunithura, a tent has been erected to coordinate the NDA’s electioneering works. After winning the municipal polls here, the momentum, as one would assume, is in their favour.
Suganan V S, staffer of a nearby store, says otherwise. “They have squandered it,” he says as he hands me a tumbler of sambaram. “Where’s the Lotus?”
The BJP’s decision to let their ally Twenty 20 field actor Anjali Nair here has left many disgruntled. Especially those who have voted only for the ‘Lotus’ so far.
Contesting under the ‘Jackfruit’ symbol, Anjali’s campaign is yet to make ‘local connect’. Her posters are accompanied by a smattering of Narendra Modi’s faces. Probably a slapdash effort to signal that she is indeed a part of the NDA fold.
In comparison, the LDF’s poster is “clean and full of conviction”, says Rajan, who’s come to the shop. He’s talking about the big hoarding with CPM leader K N Unnikrishnan’s profile on it nearby.
In this quarter of the city, familiarity matters. “Though he was MLA of Vypeen, Unninkrishnan is a known figure here,” says Sugunan. “People here prefer quiet connections.”
Would the convoy that passed by us earlier, one which shouted out the qualities of Congress candidate Deepak Joy — who had lost to Unnikrishnan in 2021 — qualify as quiet, I wondered.
Next, I move towards the coast. LDF candidate K J Maxy has a near-omnipotent presence in the region. “Who else is there?” asks Naser, as he attempts to fish out a biscuit drowning in his teacup.
He dismisses Congress’s Muhammad Shiyas as an opportunist. “It is a no-contest for Maxy,” he adds.
Naser’s words get a backlash from fellow-customers at the teashop in Thoppumady. “What did Maxy do exactly?” asks one.
“Nothing,” chips in his friend. “The LDF had the state, the corporation, MLA funds… Yet, just look at the condition of Fort Kochi.”
Naser points to Chellanam. “The LDF mobilised funds to construct the seawall. That alone will shore up a lot of votes in their favour,” he asserts.
Before long, I was across the waters, into Vypeen, where the Congress was reportedly “late to the party”, says Aaron, a youngster waiting on his friends for football.
Turmoil within the party meant that former Kochi mayor Tony Chammany’s candidature had come two weeks too late. By then, the LDF’s electioneering works for M B Shiny were at a crescendo.
“We were all rooting for Titto [Antony] chettan. He is a local… we all know him. But the Congress overlooked him. Likely to their detriment,” Aaron says.
“Here, everyone knows each other. Both Titto chettan and Shiny chechi are very active. They help us youngsters. So, we like them.”
The NDA’s candidate, Anitha Thomas of Twenty20, is yet to stir a buzz. What remains to be seen is how the combined vote share of BJP and Twenty20 would impact the poll math.
By the time I reached Ernakulam, the uncertainty that had trailed the Congress like a spectre suddenly dissipated, courtesy the vigour and visibility of T J Vinod, who is taking on the LDF’s Sabu George and the NDA P R Shivashankar. “He muscled his campaign into fast gear even when the party remained hesitant to announce the names. People love that conviction. They see it as ‘getting stuff done’,” says Akhil Andrew, a resident.
Ernakulam has long been a Congress stronghold. “Retaining the seat is symbolically vital for the party. So they will throw everything here,” Akhil adds.
My next stop is Kalamassery. Minister and sitting MLA P Rajeeve, the man widely credited with driving development in the constituency, has considerable ground support.
“He is responsive. His hands-on approach is for all to see,” says Sandra, a homemaker.
Rajeeve is taking on IUML’s V E Abdul Gafoor and M P Binu of the BDJS. Pradeep, a tempo driver, says people see “no reason for a shift”. “Under earlier UDF tenures, the Seaport-Airport road project had remained in limbo. But under Rajeeve, it has taken off,” he says.