Party workers of the Joseph faction of the Kerala Congress have begun campaigning for the Assembly polls in the Thodupuzha constituency, though the seat-sharing talks within the United Democratic Front (UDF) are yet to conclude.
From Tuesday, graffiti and hoardings featuring Mr. Joseph began to appear at various locations. However, the election symbol was conspicuous by its absence in the campaign materials. The Joseph faction’s district president M.J. Jacob said campaigning had been officially launched in the Thodupuzha constituency and mandalam committees had been formed in the Idukki constituency.
In Thodupuzha, he said, Mr. Joseph was sure to represent the UDF. Mr. Joseph is under COVID-19 treatment in Thiruvananthapuram, and hence the party workers had launched the poll campaign, he said. “In the last Assembly election Mr. Joseph won with a record margin of 45,587 votes. We hope the trend will continue. The seat-sharing talks will be concluded in a day or two,” he said. In the last local body elections, the Jose K. Mani faction of the KC(M), which is with the Left Democratic Front, won 70 seats in the district and the Joseph faction got 107 seats.
Same seat likely
Roshy Augustine of the undivided KC(M), which was in the UDF, won from the Idukki constituency in the last Assembly election. Now, he is likely to contest in the same seat in the LDF banner.
In the Udumbanchola constituency, now represented in the Assembly by Electricity Minister M.M. Mani, campaign graffiti of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have appeared on public places. However, there is no mention of the candidate.
The plantation constituencies of Devikulam and Peerumade were with the LDF in the last Assembly elections with S. Rajendran of CPI(M) winning the former and E.S. Bijimol of the CPI, the latter. Ms. Bijimol is unlikely to contest this year as the CPI has insisted on a two-term policy for candidature and she has won thrice from here. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is yet to announce its candidates in the district.
