Babu John, a 59-year-old who represents Ward 1 of the Ezhamkulam panchayat in Pathanamthitta, won the election by one of the biggest margins ever in the history of the local body. Of the total 966 votes polled in the ward, he received 705 while the candidate who finished second got just 139 votes.
The huge win notwithstanding, spotting the face of this LDF candidate among a flurry of posters and flex boards in his ward would be impossible. Convinced that turning to posters and graffiti for campaigning will only help add to the pollution, he ran an election campaign all by himself.
425 houses
Having been in the public sphere for long now, Mr. John was never worried that his subdued campaign would mar his prospects. “I visited all 425 houses in my ward and had a very personal interaction with the voters. By avoiding posters and flex boards, I wanted to send out a message to my voters. It worked very effectively,” he said.
In view of the COVID-19 guidelines, Mr. John chose not to take his supporters along while campaigning. Announcements through loudspeakers too was avoided. His poll managers were very active on social media platforms, though.
A champion of organic farming, yoga and natural life, he also was the private secretary of CPI(M) Polit Bureau member M.A. Baby. He is also known at various levels as a writer, researcher, historian, film actor, and public figure.
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