With the polls to the local bodies in Kottayam firing up voter interest despite the COVID-19 situation, leading parties have exuded confidence about the voting levels turning to their advantage.
While the United Democratic Front (UDF) termed the voting pattern consistent with its calculations of a clean sweep, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) attributed it to a reversing of the political trend in rural Kottayam — long regarded as UDF bastions. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), meanwhile, attributed the ‘rather high voting level’ to its supporters pouring in to the polling stations.
“The inclusion of the Kerala Congress (M) [KC(M)] has clearly worked in favour of the LDF as the core vote bank of the Kerala Congress came out in huge numbers to support us. Riding on this momentum, the LDF is set to win the Kottayam district panchayat — which is one of the most keenly watched across Kerala,” said V.N. Vasavan, district secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].
Personal connect
Seeking to dispel the conventional notion that a higher voter turnout always favoured the UDF, he said the LDF could make a huge difference this time by reaching out to each voter at a personal level.
KC(M) leader Jose K. Mani too shared the overall enthusiasm within the LDF and held that the outcome would be a fitting reply to those who betrayed K.M. Mani.
Congress leader Oommen Chandy, however, had no doubt that the outcome would be a reflection of the growing public ire against the governments at the Centre and the State.
Administrative lapses
Addressing the media after casting his vote at Puthupally, Mr. Chandy said the LDF had not been able to counter any of the allegations raised by the Leader of the Opposition, which eventually came out to be true. “These controversies combined with the administrative lapses over the past five years are sure to have an impact on the final outcome,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Nair Service Society general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair too had made a remark on the growing public sentiment against ‘the prevailing situation.’ “The people are too upset and hence, this election should ensure the victory of democracy,” he said in response to queries from media persons.
‘BJP supporters’
The NDA, meanwhile, said it was about to win several seats across the various local bodies as evident from the huge turnout of its supporters. “Higher turnouts in local body polls were traditionally regarded as a trend in favour of the UDF. But with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gaining considerable ground and the minority communities increasingly leaning towards us, this is a trend in favour of the NDA,” said Noble Mathew, BJP district unit president.
