The stage has been set for poll battle in Kuttiyadi. Clearing the initial confusion and disagreements over the selection of its candidate, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) campaign is now in full swing in the agrarian belt. For the UDF, the fight this time is seemingly an endurance test to prove that it has gained an indomitable hold in the constituency with the last term’s victory.
Sitting MLA and UDF candidate Parakkal Abdulla exudes confidence that he will retain the seat. He says he has been a ‘visible people’s representative’ unlike many of his political opponents and that it will definitely help him romp home.
UDF campaigners say the recent protests within the LDF over the selection of candidates have given them an advantage in electioneering. According to them, the disagreements over fielding a KC(M) candidate within the LDF still persist and that it will come to light after the elections.
Meanwhile, LDF campaigners say the front lost the constituency last time by a thin margin because of some ‘unfortunate reasons’. This time they bank on the candidature of former Kozhikode district panchayat president K. Kunhammad. His popularity as an approachable politician and his entry into the fray with the support of the KC(M) following party workers’ protest will help the front wrest the seat back from the UDF, they say.
Poll planks
In the last election, Kuttiyadi, the erstwhile Meppayur constituency, gave a shocker to the LDF, as it tasted defeat in the constituency after 25 years. With a victory margin of 1,157 votes, Parakkal Abdulla trounced his strong opponent K.K. Lathika of the LDF that time.
This agriculturally sensitive region has eight local bodies where issues related to agriculture and allied development projects grab political attention. Relief packages and supportive schemes for farmers are the main poll planks here.
For the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Kuttiyadi gives some hope. Its increasing vote percentage prompts the front to go ahead with aggressive campaigns for its candidate P.P. Murali. The BJP, which secured 4.4% of votes in the 2011 elections, managed to improve it to 7.8% in the last elections. NDA leaders claim that the vote share will increase further this time too.
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