With hardly two weeks left, electioneering gathers steam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With barely two weeks left for the assembly elections, campaigning has gathered steam in all the 14 assembly constituencies in the district. Braving the sizzling heat,  candidates are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to ensure that they meet each and every voter personally.
Star campaigners of various political parties are attending rallies and conventions while the new faces are attempting to connect with voters personally to secure votes. Leaders of  various parties have also started taking stock of the situation to fine-tune their campaign strategy. 

Major constituencies like Nemom and Kazhakoottam, where a strong triangular fight is on the cards, the campaign strategy of the major fronts is to meet voters in person so as to secure votes. Significantly, the Sabarimala issue is a major factor in both the seats where a consolidation of Hindu votes could well decide the outcome.

In Nemom, both the UDF and the LDF are trying to wrest the seat from the NDA while in Kazhakoottam, the UDF and the NDA are trying to win votes by targeting sitting MLA and Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran. Recently, Surendran had lamented the hardships encountered by Ayyappa devotees on account of the happenings in Sabarimala. 

Sobha Surendran,  NDA candidate in Kazhakoottam, is confident of getting votes especially those of Hindus and women by pitching the Sabarimala factor. In Nemom, the strategy is different. NDA’s Kummanam Rajasekharan is trying his best to retain the BJP seat while UDF candidate K Muraleedharan is playing the card of his ‘clean image’ and his ‘stardom’ while  LDF’s V Sivankutty’s  is employing the ‘common man connect’ strategy to clinch victory. 

In the prestigious Thiruvananthapuram seat, Congress’ candidate and sitting MLA V S Sivakumar aims to ensure a good number of votes from the coastal belt since these will prove decisive to any candidate hoping to emerge victorious in the seat. LDF candidate Antony Raju is also touring the coastal region seeking votes on the basis of the LDF government’s pro-development policies. C Krishnakumar, who is the NDA candidate in the seat, is trying to tap into his personal contacts to secure votes.

In Vattiyoorkavu,  sitting MLA and former Thiruvananthapuram mayor V K Prasanth has made considerable headway since his candidature was announced quite early. However, the campaign of UDF candidate Veena Nair is yet to reach full throttle. NDA candidate and BJP councillor from Poojappura V V Rajesh is also pulling out all the stops to garner votes in the high-profile seat.

Besides the city constituencies,  campaigning  has picked up pace in rural seats of the district. The candidates will stage vehicle rallies at Neyyattinkara, Nedumangad, Parassala, Aruvikkara, Kattakada, Kovalam, Vamanapuram, Attingal, Chirayinkeezhu and Varkala  from Wednesday.