KOCHI/KANNUR: The UDF has set its sights on a sizeable number of BJP votes to pull off the Thalassery seat.
With the poll panel rejecting the nomination papers of its candidate, BJP has announced that it would support independent candidate COT Nazeer, a former CPM cadre, in the constituency.
However, the UDF hopes the deep-rooted rivalry between the BJP and CPM will work in its favour.
The nomination papers of N Haridas, who is also the BJP Kannur district president, were rejected after scrutiny citing technical reasons.
Thalassery is a place where BJP has considerable presence and its candidate V K Sajeevan garnered 22,125 votes in the 2016 assembly elections.
The area is also notorious for frequent clashes between the CPM and RSS.The UDF campaign managers expect that a good majority of the BJP votes will be cast in favour of Congress candidate M P Aravindakshan.
“BJP leaders are antagonistic to the UDF because we had intervened to get the nomination papers rejected. We also have impleaded in the case filed by the BJP in the High Court,” said an office-bearer of the UDF mandalam committee.
“But the party cadre are unlikely to heed to the leadership’s decision. Majority of them may vote for the UDF to express their anger against the CPM,” he said.
The office-bearer added that Aravindakshan is an amiable person and the people who do not like LDF candidate A N Shamseer’s behaviour may choose the Congress candidate.
Nazeer told TNIE that the people of Thalassery have got a rare chance to think beyond party politics and make development of the area the yardstick.
“I am a victim of the politics of violence and the peace-loving people of Thalassery will certainly elect me. The constituency has the tradition of electing people like Justice V R Krishna Iyer and the people wish to end the politics of hatred,” said Nazeer.
“I will not say no to votes from any section of people. Even those in the CPM will vote for me this time. I was attacked for expressing my difference of opinion with the party,” said Nazeer, who was with the CPM till a few years ago.
Nazeer, who was an independent candidate for the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, was attacked shortly after the elections at Thalassery. He had alleged that Shamseer was behind the conspiracy to eliminate him.
O K Vasu, former BJP district president who joined the CPM in 2014, said the rejection of nomination papers was a drama played by the BJP to help the UDF.
“It is unbelievable that the nomination papers of the BJP district president were rejected due to technical reasons. I was a candidate of the party, and we used to take extra care while filing papers. Usually, we seek the help of a lawyer to ensure that the papers are in order,” Vasu told TNIE.
Vasu, now a local committee member of CPM, alleged the plan would be to transfer BJP votes to the UDF.
“But the CPM will win. The election results will reveal how BJP played the game,” said Vasu, who is campaigning for LDF candidates in Koothuparamba and Thalassery.
‘Disappearance’ of the candidate midway through the campaign has dampened the morale of BJP workers in Thalassery.
Most of them are now focusing on the nearby Dharmadom and Koothuparamba seats where senior leaders of the party are contesting.