THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram
The battle for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat has settled down to a fight over issues. Till some days ago the campaign revolved around personal attacks on Congress candidate Shashi Tharoor who managed to overcome the vicious campaign by clarifying his stance on controversies.
The battle here is now between “man next door” P Ramachandran Nair and the international celebrity. Tharoor, in a brief span, has succeeded in generating a huge fan following among young voters and the upper middle class.
For mer Thiruvananthapuram MP and BSP leader A Neelalohitadasan Nadar is working overtime to scuttle the chances of Tharoor and Nair. Neelan’s campaign is concentrated in the Nemom, Kovalam, Neyyattinkara and Parassala Assembly constituencies.
He is hopeful of leading in at least two of these and is eyeing a consolidation of the Nadar and Janata Dal votes.
The campaigns of BJP’s P K Krishnadas and NCP’s M P Gangadharan are strong.
They have generated a feeling that they mean business.
Chances are the voters in Thiruvananthapuram will pick the most useful candidate from the lot to put an end to the confusion
Kollam
When the UDF announced Peethambara Kurup as its candidate for the Kollam Lok Sabha seat, there was a sigh of relief in the LDF camp. Sitting MP P Rajendran took Kurup for an easy rival, but Rajendran’s smile is slowly fading. Panic is shaking the confidence of the Rajendran camp and the CPM has realised that it won’t be an easy fight in Kollam.
The majority of the 1,11,071 votes won by Rajendran in 2004 remains a major hurdle for the UDF. In order to counter that majority the UDF will have to work hard. Kurup, with his inimitable style of campaigning, could create ripples even among traditional LDF workers. The Congress is pinning its hopes on a silent sabotage by the CPI and RSP, which have a strong base in the district and are hurt by the stand of the CPM on some recent issues.
If these factors work together against the LDF, Kurup stands a fair chance of winning. But the CPM believes that the CPI and RSP will not indulge in backstabbing.
Attingal
Against all odds, an LDF wave is sweeping this new constituency.
CPM candidate and former MP A Sampath has gained a clear edge. But his opponent G Balachandran of the Congress is working hard to bridge the gap and upset the LDF chances.
Ezhava votes form the majority in this constituency. The SNDP Yogam is learnt to have decided to support Sampath.
The Congress’s hope is aimed on the newly formed Aruvikkara and Kattakkada Assembly constituencies. The party is targeting leads in Aruvikkara, Kattakkada and Nedumangad constituencies which could nullify the advantage of the CPM in Varkala, Attingal, Chirayinkeezhu and Vamanapuram.
Mavelikkara
The initial advantage of UDF candidate Kodikkunnil Suresh (Congress) has been considerably reduced by CPI’s R S Anil in this redrawn constituency reserved for the Scheduled Castes. Mavelikkara has the most complex geography with Pathanapuram in the east of the Kollam district to Changanassery in Kottayam and Kuttanad in Alappuzha being part of it.
Kodikkunnil is trying to cash in on his experience while Anil requests votes for a change. The majority of the Dalit organisations support Kodikkunnil Suresh. With R Balakrishna Pillai as campaign manager, Suresh hopes to win the support of the NSS.
It remains to be seen how far the mature young candidate of the CPI can go to sabotage the chances of a seasoned leader like Kodikkunnil Suresh.
Pathanamthitta
This newly formed constituency is set to elect its maiden MP. Pathanamthitta is believed to be a stronghold of the Congress.
A probable consolidation of the Christian votes and the pro-Congress character of the Kanjirappally, Thiruvalla, Ranni, Aranmula and Konni Assembly constituencies have given an edge to Congress candidate Anto Antony. The CPM has fielded its district secretary Ananthagopan.
BJP candidate B Radhakrishna Menon is making a concerted bid to garner votes and register the presence of the party in the constituency.
The presence of former Pathanamthitta MLA K K Nair as the BSP candidate and Mani C Kappan as the NCP candidate makes the game trickier. Kappan will poll votes from Kanjirappally and Poonjar while Nair will explore all his contacts in Pathanamthitta to better his tally. The CPM is doing the arithmetic by subtracting the votes polled by Nair and Kappan from the UDF’s kitty.
