With four days left for the by-election in Thrikkakara (Kochi) three major political parties in the state are busy giving final touches to the electioneering.
Despite the bypoll being inconsequential in terms of numerical strength for the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), it has turned into a prestigious battle for both.
With a general acceptance for stakes being quite high, leaders of all three fronts, including the CPI (M), the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party are giving it their all while camping in the urban constituency. Leaving no stone unturned, chief minister (CM) Pinarayi Vijayan and most of his ministers toured the constituency extensively and addressed several rallies.
State Congress president K Sudhakaran, opposition leader V D Satheesan and BJP state president K Surendran also pitched tents in the urban constituency.
The three-cornered contest between UDF candidate and widow of PT Thomas, Uma Thomas, LDF candidate and cardiologist Joe Joseph and BJP state vice- president AN Radhakrishnan won’t be a cake walk . Twenty20, a party floated by a corporate outfit that polled over 13,000 votes in 2021 poll, is not contesting this time. All three claim they will get Twenty20 votes.
This is the first by-election after Vijayan got his second term in office.
For ruling CPI(M), which is facing heat on the proposed high-speed Silverline , it is vote for development and recognition but opposition Congress and BJP are making massive displacement of people and brute force on affected people an issue.
“A win in Thrikkakara will set the tone for development agenda being pursued by the Left parties. The Silverline will change the face of the state. We will make it happen. Congress and BJP have joined hands to sabotage development of the state,” the CM had said while addressing a rally.
“It is time to give a shock treatment to the government which has suppressed several protests. The CPI(M) does not have any moral right to talk about development because it opposed all the major projects earlier,” senior Congress leader A K Antony said on Friday. He said Uma will get more votes than her late husband as people are waiting for an opportunity to teach the government a lesson.
Distant third runner, BJP is trying its best to curry favour with Christian community which has a major presence in the constituency citing the recent arrest of former legislator P C George. “Earlier, many Muslim leaders had made provocative speeches and the government ignored them. But in case of George, he was swiftly arrested. People will expose appeasement politics of the Left,” said K Surendran, adding, the party will improve its position this time. A party hopper George’s Janapaksham Party is in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) camp now.
The three-week long campaigning witnessed its fair share of controversies. Recently, a video had surfaced portraying the LDF candidate Joe Joseph in a negative light.
Though the Congress distanced itself from it, the police later arrested two former Youth Congress workers. The party, however, maintained that the people arrested had only forwarded the video clip and people who had made it were still at large.
Adding to the list, the petition by the survivor in actor assault case also took a political turn. The Opposition dubbed the government anti-women citing her allegation to sabotage the case but the ruling party somehow contained it by the CM’s meeting with the actor.
The LDF also used the service of expelled leader K V Thomas to attack the UDF. Both CPI(M) and Congress blamed each other for “secret understanding with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI),” a political wing of the Popular Front of India.
In 2021 election, P T Thomas had polled 59,839 votes while his opponent CPI (M)-backed independent J Jacob came second with 45,410 votes and BJP candidate S Saji got over 14,000 votes. The by-election is scheduled on May 31, and counting will be held on June 3.
“It has been a bastion of the Congress for many decades. But the CPI(M) is trying its best to breach the fort. Though it is a close fight Uma, Thomas has some advantage,” said senior journalist and political observer John Mary.
