KOCHI: A daytime trip through Ponnani in the month of Ramadan may not yield what a reporter is looking for in the time of elections. Apart from posters and banners at some places, there are no visible signs of busy political activities that characterise pre-elections days.
“You chose the wrong time,” says M P Rafi, a journalist in Tirur.
“The streets of Ponnani come to life at night after the fast is broken. Some candidates prefer indoor meetings and get-togethers till Ramadan is over. During this period, processions on roads happen mostly at night.”
But appearance can be deceptive. Though physical campaigning is minimal in the Lok Sabha constituency, where IUML rebel K S Hamsa is taking on his former party colleague Abdusamad Samadani, who is the incumbent MP of neighbouring Malappuram, ‘subterranean’ moves are already under way. Both sides are busy storing ammunition that can be fired in the last leg of the campaign, after Eid-ul-Fitr.
“Ponnani has a rich tradition of value-based politics, which has become almost extinct now,” says writer K P Ramanunni, a Ponnani resident.
The Congress had stalwarts like Advocate Ramunni Menon while E K Imbichi Bava represented the communist party, he points out.
“When Bava decided to fight an election against Menon, someone asked Bava, who didn’t have much formal education, what he could do against Menon who was an LLB-holder. Bava answered that all LLB holders can vote for Menon and the rest will vote for him! LLB-holders were rare in those days,” Ramanunni recalls.
Imbichi Bava used to walk miles to meet the legendary communist K Damodaran to study the basics of communism, he reminisces.
Ponnani has a legacy of inclusive culture from the days of Sheikh Zainudeen Makhdums in the 16th century. “It was a more prominent port than Kozhikode and trade with other countries flourished from here. Ponnani Valiya Palli was a centre of learning and Vilakkathirikkal was the name of the learning process. Ponnani was known as the Mecca of Kerala,” Ramanunni says.
Ponnani holds a special place in the cultural landscape of Kerala, too. The river Nila had nurtured the literary pursuits of towering figures in Malayalam, from Thunchath Ezhuthachan to M T Vasudevan Nair. MT once wrote that Nila, which he knew closer, was dearer to him than the oceans that hide innumerable secrets in their bosom. Writers and artistes including Uroob, Akkitham, M Govindan, Namboodiri, Kamala Surayya, Nalappattu Narayana Menon and Balamaniamma were part of the ‘Ponnani Kalari’.
But, in any election, it is not the glorious past of any constituency that is discussed. And so, the people of Ponnani will be more concerned about issues closer to their lives. The candidature of Hamsa, who is contesting on a CPM symbol, has evoked some curiosity among the voters. The LDF picked him considering his proximity to the Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama and with the hope that he will be able to create a division in the traditional Muslim vote bank. But Samadani, an orator par excellence, can easily sway voters UDF’s way with his linguistic skills. The BJP has fielded Nivedita Subramanian, the state president of Mahila Morcha.
Mohammad Yusuf, a Ponnani resident, says the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will influence voters in the constituency.
“Many of us are concerned about the Act as we feel it targets Muslims. Moreover, the incumbent MP of Ponnani, E T Mohammed Basheer, has failed to bring development to the constituency, which is why he has opted for Malappuram this time,” he says.
At the same time, there are those like Mohammad Shareef, a resident of Ayiroor in Perumpadappa, who feel people are not concerned about issues such as the CAA, a hot topic this election campaign especially in the Malabar region.
“What we need are basic necessities like drinking water and food items at lower prices,” he stresses.
Mohammed Kutty, who lives near the Ponnani KSRTC bus stand, believes the anti-people policies of the Union government are a major talking point this election. “The BJP-led government is doing nothing to assist common people and is seen as working for the big corporates. People, including Hindus, are facing difficulties in India because of rising prices. This election holds significance as people aim to remove the BJP government from power,” he says.
There are issues related to sea erosion and potable water that are often sidelined in the dust and din created by the political campaign. Candidates have promised their manifesto will be prepared after consultation with the voters and by incorporating their suggestions. The people in Aliyarpalli, Marakkadavu, Murinjazhi, Puthuponnani and Veliyancode have faced severe sea erosion in the past.