TM Thomas Isaac smiles from a giant billboard overlooking the historic Aruvithura Church believed to have been established in AD 151. It has a catchline quite unlike the typical CPM hoarding: ‘Edathanu Hrudayam, Avideyundu Isaac’ (At Left is the Heart, That’s Where Isaac Is).
Set against a dark green backdrop, even the party logo -- sickle, hammer and star -- is barely discernible. And the colour of the party flag, red, is but a mere speck.
Though located in Kottayam district, Aruvithura falls under the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency and has an overwhelmingly Muslim population.
Isaac and the LDF poll strategists are trying to get the attention, and votes, of both Muslims and the church-going Christian population traditionally considered close to the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF). The party tacticians know they will have to use every trick in the book to wrest the seat from the incumbent, Congress’ Anto Antony, who is eyeing a fourth consecutive term.
Save a few posters and banners, the buzz associated with an election is hardly visible on the ground, which is surprising for a politically-charged Kerala.
“It’s the month of Ramadan. Things will become hectic after Eid-al-Fitr,” says Ansari, outside his ‘malancharakku’ shop at Erattupetta.
The low prices for ‘malancharakku’, or hill produce like rubber, nutmeg, pepper, cardamom and ginger, and the farmers’ struggles including the recurring wild animal attacks are hot election issues in this predominantly agrarian central Kerala constituency. “Isaac has proven his capabilities as a finance minister. It will be a tough fight,” Ansari says.
At the same time, he reckons Anto holds the edge despite the fatigue factor.
What about Anil K Antony, the NDA candidate? “Well, he’s the son of A K Antony,” Ansari smiles.
At Erumeli, Sibi Kalurkulangara, who purchases rubber sheets from farmers, draws a parallel between rubber and cocoa, with the prices for the latter having hit multi-decade highs in recent months.
“Today, you get Rs 810/kg for cocoa without any maintenance cost for the farm. Compare that with rubber: a farmer starts getting a good yield from a tree only after the 10th year of planting,” he explains.
Sibi has leased out a ‘block’ (nearly two acres) of his rubber plantation on a 60:40 profit-sharing basis. “I earn hardly Rs 24,000 per year, which is unsustainable,” he points out.
In two other blocks, he has employed a tapper, the person who peels the rubber tree to get latex. “After paying the tapper, I’m going at no profit, no loss,” he says.
So how will the farmers’ distress impact the elections?
“None of these issues will reflect in the elections. Be it the Congress, the Left or the BJP, the fate of the farmers is to be slaves in their own land,” says Sibi, who feels there is a need for a strong farmers’ pressure group in Kerala to address their concerns.
Having gone to Canada for higher studies, Sibi’s only son has secured a work permit there. “If the situation persists, no one will stay here. Every youngster is looking to escape from this wretched place. My daughter is here because she got a job at the panchayat office. Otherwise, she too would have gone abroad,” he says.
A trek up the hills from Erumeli is Puliyankunnumala, near Thulappally, where a wild elephant trampled a 52-year-old, Biju earlier this month. On the way, Titus -- who was returning in his autorickshaw after supplying groceries and milk to Biju’s family -- points out how the local residents have ensured that all the jackfruit trees in the area are barren, lest they invite wild elephants. The hill on the forest fringes, bordering three districts -- Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta -- is home to around 20 families.
“Many families are looking to leave their farms and move to safer areas in the plains,” Titus points out. Biju’s widow Daisy, however, displays steely resolve. “Why should we leave? I came to this place after my marriage. There’s no question of leaving,” she says.
Her daughter and son-in-law, who returned home after Biju’s death, will leave for the Gulf in the next few days. Following huge protests from the villagers, the authorities sanctioned Rs 10 lakh as compensation for the family and promised a job for his son. This election season, every demand will be met and every promise, hopefully, kept. In Pandalam, the Valiya Koyikkal Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, the epicentre of the protests against the Supreme Court decision to allow women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple in the lead-up to the last Lok Sabha elections, wears a deserted look. Thanks to the agitation, the BJP wrested the Pandalam municipality in the 2020 local body polls. The saffron party also won in the Kulanada panchayat nearby.
“Things are a bit subdued here after the passing of Sasi Varma thampuram (P G Sasikumar Varma, a member of the Pandalam royal family and chairman of the Pandalam palace executive committee, who died in February),” says Sreejith aka Ayyappan, a member of the advisory board of the Pandalam temple.
In 2019, the NDA received a major chunk of the votes from this area. Cut to 2024, the situation is not the same, with the LDF hoping to tap into swing votes. But the common refrain is, “The dynamics can change anytime.”
