Kerala Assembly Elections | High-voltage campaigns, intense debates make the contest gripping in Ernakulam

With high-voltage campaigns led by national-level leaders and intense debates on varied acts of omission and fee of the State authorities electrifying the ballot scene, Ernakulam district is witnessing a gripping political contest.

All the main political formations have cared to make sure the presence of their top-rug leaders in the district. BJP chief and Union Home Minister Amit Shah selected the Thripunithura constituency to kick-start his marketing campaign with a short street present. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh too is predicted to handle the voters.

While CPI (M) leaders Prakash Karat, S. Ramachandran Pillai and Subhashini Ali canvassed votes for the Left Democratic Front candidates, a number of Congress leaders together with Randeep Singh Surjewala gave the required impetus to the United Democratic Front marketing campaign.

Face-off

It is to be seen how the face-off between the Latin Catholic Church and the State authorities over the controversial deep-sea fishing challenge would affect the ballot final result in the district. The Latin Catholic votes matter in at the least three constituencies, Ernakulam, Kochi and Vypeen. While the voters of Ernakulam unwaveringly stood with the UDF, Vypeen has the electoral historical past of being with the Left for lengthy.

The challenge of double votes/faux votes raised by Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has discovered resonance in the district with Congress chief Hibi Eden, MP, approaching the Election Commission of India with a grievance. Mr. Eden alleges that the LDF sabotaged the electoral mandate in the Kochi Corporation by way of bogus voting. The UDF has registered 5 election circumstances in trial courts.

The fronts have taken critical notice of the presence of Twenty20 candidates in eight constituencies, particularly Kunnathunad, Kochi and Ernakulam contemplating the low margin of the winners.

While V. P. Sajeendran managed to retain the Kunnathunad seat by 2,679 votes, K. J. Maxy received 1,086 votes greater than his rival in Kochi and T. J. Vinod retained Ernakulam by edging previous his rival by a margin of three,673 votes. Nipun Cherian of the V4 Kochi, one other non-political outfit, which ensured the defeat of some UDF candidates in the polls to the Kochi Corporation and thus denied the UDF continuation of energy in the civic polls, has additionally fielded himself in the constituency.

Systematic method

After its delayed begin, the UDF and the Congress have put their act collectively and settled the inner-party conflicts whereas the LDF marketing campaign is progressing in a scientific method. The National Democratic Alliance too is making its sturdy presence felt in the district, whereas the volunteers of the Twenty20, who come out to the streets sporting T-shirts with its election image Pineapple printed on it, may very well be seen engaged in door-to-door marketing campaign.

A bunch of pre-poll surveys carried out by tv channels have fired up the political debate. While most of the surveys steered that the UDF might retain its higher hand in the district, which has 14 Assembly constituencies, some have predicted electoral sabotages too.