Campaigning for the Assembly elections in the Nemom constituency has hit a fever pitch, with all the three fronts now commencing their work on the ground. United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate K. Muraleedharan arrived for the first time in the constituency on Tuesday evening, after the announcement of his candidature on Sunday following weeks of intense speculation.
Though Mr. Muraleedharan arrived over two hours after the scheduled time due to a delayed flight, a large number of Congress workers waited patiently to accord him a rousing welcome at the Jagathy bridge, one of the boundaries of the Nemom constituency. Flags of all the constituent parties of the UDF were on display as he was led to Karamana on an open four-wheeler, with party workers jostling to get close to him.
Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate V. Sivankutty, who had begun his campaign much earlier, also ratcheted up the mood on Tuesday with a road show that covered several areas coming within the constituency. A sea of red flags and confetti shower welcomed him at some of the major points along the way as he travelled in an open four-wheeler with party workers following in two-wheelers and cars. Mr. Sivankutty is set to submit his nomination papers on Wednesday, after which he will address a series of ward conventions in various parts of the constituency through the day.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan, who kicked off his campaign two days ago, spent the earlier part of the day attending family meetings. He later visited some temples in the constituency where pongala festival was on. Mr. Rajasekharan also met community leaders as part of outreach efforts. In the evening, the BJP’s mandalam committee office was inaugurated, during which he accepted contributions from some residents of the Kottoor tribal settlement for his election deposit.