All the three fronts are in a neck-and-neck fight as Thrissur prepares for the local body elections on December 10.
As the epicentre of the Life Mission Project controversy, the district witnessed high voltage campaigns marked by aggressive blitzkrieg between the the LDF, UDF and NDA.
While the LDF, which won majority of the local bodies in the 2015 elections, says it will improve the seat share, the UDF is confident of wresting back many of their bastions. While the BJP, which claims winning possibility in Thrissur Corporation, left no stone unturned to make the contest triangular.
Apart from controversial Life Mission Project; Mannuthy-Wadakkanchery six-lane highway, which has not been completed even after 10 years; Kuthiran twin tunnel project, Paliyekkara Toll Plaza, which has been place of protests; Puthur Zoological Park, Kole development project, Amruth drinking water project, Thrissur-Kanjani-Vadanappilly Road, land acquisition issues for the Kodungallur highway, Divanji Corner overbridge and Kottappuram Jankar service are some of the issues which were actively discussed during the campaign.
Drinking water projects, distribution of COVID-19 packages, welfare pensions, and irregularities in their distributions too were issues discussed by the people.
The district stood with the LDF in the 2015 local body elections. The LDF won 88 of the total 111 local body institutions. It ruled the Corporation and the district panchayat. Six of the seven municipalities and 67 of the 86 gram panchayats stood with the LDF.
When the LDF is confident of continuing the 2015 performance, the UDF claims that the wind is in their favour this time. The NDA, which had six councillors in the last council, has even fielded their State spokesman B. Gopalakrishnan as the mayor candidate. The impressive vote share that cine actor Suresh Gopi won in many divisions in the Corporation in the last Lok Sabha election is the basis of their confidence.
In all, 26.91 lakh voters will cast their votes in the district on Thursday. Of them 18,089 are new voters. As many as 7,101 candidates are contesting from 2,060 wards in the district. Election for the Pullazhi division in Thrissur Corporation has been postponed following the death of LDF candidate.