As the election fever heats up in Kerala, an array of star campaigners from various political parties are set to descend upon the state to woo voters ahead of the April 26 Lok Sabha polls. The state will elect 20 members to the Lower House of Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has already made a few visits to the state, is expected to return, along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda, and other top leaders from the party. The Congress party's star campaigner and former president, Rahul Gandhi, will be defending his Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, necessitating quick trips across the state. Rahul is expected to arrive on Tuesday and file his nomination following a roadshow.
However, the spotlight this time may be on Sonia Gandhi, the former Congress president, who did not campaign in the state during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Sources suggest that Sonia might be coming to Kerala this time and is expected to campaign in Wayanad, Kannur, Thrissur, and Thiruvananthapuram. Her daughter, Priyanka Gandhi, is also lined up for a whirlwind trip to several constituencies.
For the CPI-M, their national leaders, including general secretary Sitaram Yechury, former general secretary Prakash Karat, and his wife Brinda Karat, will be campaigning in the state, which is considered their last bastion. However, there is no doubt that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will be their biggest campaigner, with his programme already underway, covering all 14 districts in the state.
Veteran Congress leader and former Defence Minister A.K. Antony has stated that his election campaign will be based on his health condition. All eyes are on whether he will campaign at the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency, where sitting Congress MP Anto Antony is seeking his fourth consecutive victory and is pitted against his son, Anil Antony, a BJP candidate.
This election will be the first in ages without the presence of legends like the now ailing V.S. Achuthanandan of the CPI-M and the departed leaders such as Congress veteran Oommen Chandy, CPI-M leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, and CPI veteran Kanam Rajendran. Their absence will be sorely missed, not just by the candidates and their parties, but by the audience who come to see and hear such legends.