The traditional favourite is busy fending off a brazen power feud even as the Opposition takes an early lead in electioneering. A resurgent third front, on the other hand, counts on an unusually strong candidate and caste arithmetic to stage an upset.
As the political activity in the State gathers pace ahead of the upcoming Parliament elections, it is an exceedingly close three-way contest that is on the cards in Kottayam — the rubber heartland. As against the Parliament elections five summers ago, the battle this time is waged on intensely in the local terrain as no overarching trend is discernible.
While the candidature of Thomas Chazhikkadan, former Ettumanur MLA of the Kerala Congress (M), came as quite a surprise to many in the United Democratic Front (UDF), the alliance hopes for an encore of its last performance. With its support base in the plantation sector and the various communities, it seeks to turn up the heat on both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) by highlighting the crisis in the plantation and farming sector and the perceived failures of both the Centre and State governments in handling the devastating floods last year.
Key poll plank
Besides, the call for a ‘secular government at the Centre led by the Congress’ also forms a key poll plank of the UDF here.
The LDF, on the other hand, is determined to wrest back the seat after two consecutive defeats and has fielded one of its most experienced campaigners — V.N. Vasavan, for the purpose.
Having taken an initial lead in the electioneering, the LDF hopes to make the most of an ongoing power feud within the KC(M) and the perception of dynasty politics.
Further, it pins its hopes on development initiatives such as the Cochin International Airport Ltd. model company for rubber processing and a host of development projects implemented at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kottayam.
The NDA, meanwhile, hopes to tip the balance in its favour by highlighting the sentiments of the Sabarimala devotees and their disenchantment about the State government.
Belonging to the dominant Christian community of the region, its candidate P.C. Thomas will not fail to deftly play the caste card to garner votes.
Son of Kerala Congress founder leader P.T. Chacko, who has a history of staging upset wins consecutively since 1989, Mr. Thomas is confident of courting the local voters with the support of the Sangh Parivar organisations.
Regarded as the birthplace of Kerala Congress, the constituency has returned the UDF nine times while the Left has won about six times. Last time, the UDF accounted for about 50.96% of votes polled in the constituency while the LDF accounted for 36.47%. The vote share of the NDA candidate, meanwhile, was limited to just 14%.