Kerala polls: Parties throw Covid caution to wind, show strength on streets

Supporters of LDF and UDF had a brief face-off at Cheruthoni in Idukki during the final moments of the campaign.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attends a road show on the beach road in Kozhikode  |
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attends a road show on the beach road in Kozhikode |

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Top leaders of all three major fronts including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, tore into opponents as the high-octane campaign for the assembly elections wound to a close on Sunday evening. 

Though “kottikalasham”, the grand finale of campaigning, was banned, the three fronts took to the streets with rallies and road shows, throwing Covid guidelines to the wind. In Nemom, the police had a tough time dispersing the supporters of the three fronts who thronged the streets soon after the campaign speech of Rahul Gandhi, MP, for UDF candidate K Muraleedharan ended.  

The campaign also witnessed some interesting scenes as the LDF candidate in Vattiyoorkavu, V K Prasanth, took out his road show on a road roller to spread the message of the road development he claimed to have carried out in the constituency. At Malampuzha in Palakkad, UDF candidate S K Ananthakrishnan took to the street on a bullock cart in protest against the rising fuel prices, while Rahul Gandhi reached a meeting venue in Kozhikode in an autorickshaw from the helipad.  

The ‘Captain’ of the Left front, Pinarayi, took out his road show in Dharmadom in Kannur transforming the streets into a sea of red, while Opposition leader Chennithala released further “proof” of the power purchase deal between KSEB and Adani Enterprises while addressing media in Idukki. Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy didn’t take out a road show at Puthuppally. 

Supporters of LDF and UDF had a brief face-off at Cheruthoni in Idukki during the final moments of the campaign. However, there was no major untoward incident in the state.In Kannur, Pinarayi took a dig at former chief minister Chandy while replying to the latter’s claims of development projects carried out by the previous UDF government. 

“The development that was witnessed during the LDF government’s term is not eyewash. The hospitals were upgraded as medical colleges by not just changing the boards (as was done by UDF). The financial assistance to the people was distributed by not forcing them to stand in queues under the scorching sun for hours,” he said. “The former chief minister is trying to defend his party by spreading false stories,” Pinarayi said. 

Mullappally mocks CM’s FB post

In a Facebook post too, the CM detailed the development work done by his government and supporting statistics in comparison with the previous government. In reply, KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said, “The CM’s Facebook post is his farewell speech. The attempt to project Pinarayi as the ‘captain’ was the PR work to build his image and it would not do any good to the CPM,” he said. 

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