KALIYIKKAVILAI : If the party workers in the state are tight-lipped over Sabarimala issue in the election campaign, the situation is not the same in the border districts of the neighbouring state Tamil Nadu. Express took a tour of the border areas of Kanyakumari district where the BJP and Congress are in the battleground. Sitting MP Pon Radhakrishnan of BJP and businessman -turned politician H Vasanthakumar of Congress are the key candidates seeking votes by pitching ‘Sabarimala’ and ‘Rahul Gandhi’ factors respectively.
As there are no restrictions in Tamil Nadu over speaking about the women’s entry at Sabarimala, the BJP camp is confident in taking up the issue to convert it as votes. The Kanyakumari district has a considerable amount of Malayalee population and Lord Ayyappa devotees among the Tamil population, the BJP camp said it works for them. “Sabarimala issue still remains in the heart of both Malayalees and Tamils.
Though the development of Kanyakumari district is also a major factor, Sabarimala issue is also a major decisive factor”, said Arun Kumar, a BJP party worker at Kollemcode. The BJP is also using the weapon of Congress-CPM allies in Kanyakumari district as CPM and Congress are ruling and opposition parties in Kerala. Similarly, the Congress camp is projecting ‘Rahul Gandhi’ in the campaign as he is contesting from Wayanad.