KANNUR: Newly-formed Dharmadam constituency in the district is presenting a different picture of electioneering. It’s a battle between a man on crutches and a man devoid of ‘hand’ in the elections!
LDF candidate K K Narayanan of the CPM fractured his leg last week and is now using crutches to reach various places for the campaign whereas UDF candidate Mambaram Divakaran of the Congress is facing an unusual dilemma.
He was denied the ‘hand’ symbol of the Congress party by the Election Commission as he failed to produce the attested letter from the KPCC president while filing the nomination papers.
An executive member of the KPCC, who has been a Congress activist for more than 45 years, Divakaran has to satisfy with the symbol of ‘cricket bat’.
The BJP has fielded C P Sangeetha, Mahila Morcha district president, as its candidate for the seat.
Seen as a red fortress, Dharmadam constituency was formed after dismantling Edakkad.
The supremacy of the CPM in Dharmadam is intact and evident from the results of the last local body elections.
The LDF re-affirmed its dominance by winning seven out of the eight panchayats in the constituency. Kadampoor is only panchayat which is ruled by the UDF.
Dharmadam constituency also comprises Peralassery and Pinarayi, the birth places of AKG and CPM secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, respectively. Banking on the upper hand it got in the local body elections, the CPM is expecting a cakewalk in Dharmadam.
Meanwhile, the UDF, which was caught up in a tussle over seat-sharing with no coalition partner ready to try its luck in Dharmadam, is facing the uphill task of derailing the CPM.
However, with the last-minute announcement of Mambaram Divakaran as candidate, all is well within the UDF camp now, and it is aiming to record an upset victory in the CPM stronghold.
K K Narayanan and Mambaram Divakaran, both trying their luck in the Assembly polls for the first time, are wooing voters.
After a week’s gap, Narayanan has restarted the electioneering by addressing meetings at various places in an open vehicle.
Taking advantage of the disarray in the UDF over candidate selection, the LDF has already stretched the campaign to the next level.
“Good governance and various development projects mainly in the traditional industrial sectors will help the LDF in the coming elections,” Narayanan said.
Meanwhile, the UDF campaign is slowly picking up the momentum.
While campaigning at Vengad, UDF candidate Mambaram Divakaran said: “The Left dominance in the area has taken various development issues to the back seat.
“This time, the voters will make up their minds considering the overall development of the constituency.”