Three different parties, different ideologies, and different perceptions of development. The main candidates engaged in a fierce triangular fight in Malampuzha may appear to be from three corners that can never meet; yet they share a high level of camaraderie rarely seen during a heated election campaign.
The Press Club here on Friday witnessed the union of A. Prabhakaran, S.K. Ananthakrishnan and C. Krishnakumar, candidates of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), the United Democratic Front (UDF), and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) respectively.
Although rivals in the hustings, they exchanged greetings of success to each other. “However, fierce and raucous the fight gets in Malampuzha, we have decided never to assail each other. Whoever wins from amongst us, we will extend full support for the development of Malampuzha,” they said, displaying a rare gesture of bonhomie.
Yet they were persistent about their viewpoints. Mr. Prabhakaran said the LDF, with solid roots in all panchayats in the constituency, was comfortably ensconced in Malampuzha. “We have little concern in Malampuzha,” he said.
Criticising the Narendra Modi government for attempting to sell the remaining industries, Mr. Prabhakaran said the LDF had done its best for the development of Malampuzha constituency. “Whatever development remains, we can do it together,” he said, sending a wave of laughter through the audience.
Both Mr. Ananthakrishnan and Mr. Krishnakumar focussed on the dearth of development in Malampuzha, one of the largest constituencies in the State. “We always speak of Malampuzha as a constituency represented by greats such as E.K. Nayanar, T. Sivadasa Menon and V.S. Achuthanandan. But nothing tangible was brought to or done for the people of Malampuzha, especially farmers, by any of its MLAs. People of Malampuzha are dissatisfied in general,” said Mr. Ananthakrishnan.
“Going through Malampuzha constituency, I wondered whether it is in Kerala itself. So much depravity is there. People are struggling even for drinking water. Those great men who represented Malampuzha could have brought development worth crores of rupees; but they did nothing,” said Mr. Krishnakumar.
He called upon the LDF to examine its dwindling vote share in Malampuzha. “You are deliberately turning a Nelson’s eye on some hard facts. Many industries, including Kitex and Pepsi, were shut down not because of Modi government. You can’t blame Narendra Modi for the fault of yours,” Mr. Krishnakumar said.
