THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s a hot Thursday afternoon and Kallara, a small town located in the rural parts of Thiruvananthapuram district, is abuzz with a large number of Congress and UDF members thronging the place to have a glimpse of Telangana CM R Revanth Reddy. Reddy, a star campaigner, was in the town to address a convention of UDF Attingal Lok Sabha constituency candidate Adoor Prakash. From the makeshift dais that was perched atop a parked lorry, Reddy exhorted the crowd to vote the INDIA bloc to power so that Rahul Gandhi could become the prime minister of the country. For Prakash, who was standing beside Reddy with hands folded towards the gathering, the Telangana CM fancied another chance. “By winning the poll, Adoor Prakashji will get a good portfolio in the centre,” he remarked.
The crowd replied with thundering applause, while Prakash slightly moved his folded palms as if saying thanks for their feedback.
Prakash is engaged in a triangular contest with LDF’s V Joy and NDA’s V Muraleedharan and his campaign hinges mostly on the need for getting continuity for another five years. The 68-year-old, known for his political astuteness, banks on the theme of development while interacting with the electorate.
Prakash does not delve deep into political rhetoric in his interactions and uses the infrastructure development he had ushered in to garner votes. He emphasises on the need for getting another term to finish the projects that have been rolled out and at times takes potshots at former MP A Sampath, whom he had defeated last time, for not doing enough on the development front when he was serving as the MP.
Prakash’s first pit stop on Thursday afternoon was at Kizhakke Ayilam, a sleepy village in Mudakkal panchayat. He chose to pull up his vehicle near the high-mast light that was constructed using his MP Fund. A small gathering of mostly women and children was present and as the candidate began talking, a man emerged from the crowd and complained that he did nothing to repair the road that was in a bad state.
The interruption did not go down well with Prakash as he felt the man belonged to the rival camp and was out to disrupt the campaign. “For 29 years there have been many parliamentarians, but it took one Adoor Prakash to do some work,” he said in a harsh tone. Until 2019, the CPM had been winning the seat for an unbroken 29 years and that was what Prakash was referring to. Taking potshots at Sampath, Prakash said: “Your former MP even did not spend his funds fully. I was the one who had spent the remaining `40 lakh from his fund.”
The man, who posed the question, was taken aback by the response and he gingerly walked up to Prakash and whispered something in his ear that the candidate received with a full smile. “The man told the candidate that he had no grudge towards him and wished him the best,” a Congress leader accompanying the candidate later told this reporter.
The UDF camp appeared confident about Prakash’s prospects, but accepted that their campaigning lacked the verve which was quite evident in 2019. One Congress local leader attributed it to the organisational issues within the party. He said due to the recent organisational rejig, new office-bearers have been selected to the mid-level roles and they are still in the learning phase. “The experienced men were replaced during the rejig and that has affected the campaign to some extent.”However, he appeared confident about the poll outcome. “We will win. There is no doubt about it. Maybe our winning margin might be a bit less than that of 2019,” he added.
Along the wavy byroad through which the campaign vehicles move, people have assembled to have a glimpse of the candidate. In spots where reception is planned, Prakash interacts directly with the public over the microphone using the oft-repeated words urging them to “give him another term.” At Parayadi, the entourage was received with cracker bursts and band music, while at Pokamukku, the next point, an elderly woman received Prakash by draping him with a ponnada.
She appeared confident that Prakash would win, and denied reports that a strong triangular contest was on. “The BJP will be considering themselves fortunate if they can reach the 2019 figures,” she said.
As night set in, the campaign in Mudakkal panchayat, which was missed in the first phase, was wrapped up and Prakash moved to Elakamon panchayat, the next destination.
The UDF has some concerns over their prospects in Varkala and Chirayinkeezhu areas, which are considered as Joy’s bastion. However, they are banking hopes on the anti-incumbency factor to work against Joy in his backyard.