The road leading to the town hall in Pampady, a small hill town in Kerala바카라s Kottayam district, is lined with hoardings and banners declaring 바카라LDF for Sure바카라, a campaign slogan of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front. There are graffiti and huge cutouts of CM Pinarayi Vijayan바카라바카라star바카라 of the ruling party and 바카라captain바카라 as they call him. The crowd waiting outside the hall is unmindful of the humid heat, and it comprises more women than men. Among them is 70-year-old Sharada, who wants to just have a glimpse of 바카라captain바카라. 바카라The CM has steered us through many crises, be it floods, pandemic or lockdown. Poor people like us survive on the free ration and pension offered by this government. He will win one more term,바카라 she says. Vijayan is addressing his second meeting of the day and there are three more in Kottayam district.
Red balloons and flags go up in the air as the CM바카라s car makes its way through the crowd. On the stage, Vijayan speaks about his government바카라s achievements and welfare schemes for nearly 30 minutes. 바카라The Opposition is trying to rake up the Sabarimala issue, which is a non-issue. We are focusing more on development,바카라 he says.
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Pampady is part of the Puthupally constituency. Known as a Congress citadel, it is the home turf of former CM Oommen Chandy, who has represented Puthupally in the assembly 11 times since 1970. Against the Congress veteran, the CPI(M) has fielded a young candidate바카라Jake C. Thomas, who is taking on Chandy for the second time. 바카라It is difficult to defeat Chandy in Puthupally, but Thomas will give a tough fight,바카라 says CPI(M) supporter V. Kunjikrishnan as Vijayan leaves for his next stop in Pala.
About a kilometre away, a few Congress workers have assembled to take stock of the electioneering. Jeemon Verghese says he is not disheartened, and that his party is banking on Rahul Gandhi바카라s visit to lift the morale of workers like him. Even as he admits that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is lagging behind in campaigning, he seems assured that Chandy바카라s win is a foregone conclusion. 바카라Vijayan is the CPI(M)바카라s star campaigner. He draws crowds wherever he goes, but it doesn바카라t always translate into votes,바카라 he adds.
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Observers say the CPI(M) has had a head-start over the Congress and the BJP as far as campaigning is concerned. Riding on welfare schemes implemented in the past five years, if the LDF returns to power, as opinion polls indicate, it will break the incumbency jinx almost every government in Kerala has succumbed to in the past. In fact, the electorate has never given a second consecutive chance to any government except in 1977. For the CPI(M)-led government, busy fighting central agencies on allegations of gold smuggling and violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act involving the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, this election is also a matter of prestige.
The CPI(M)바카라s other star campaigner, Kerala health minister K.K. Shailaja, says the world is keenly watching the 바카라Kerala model of development, which has been highly appreciated by many바카라. 바카라We will definitely return to power on account of the work we did in the past five years. The LIFE Mission housing project envisaged by the LDF government has provided 2.5 lakh houses to the beneficiaries. Our efficient healthcare system is another success story,바카라 adds Shailaja.
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Observers say the exit of Congress veteran P.C. Chacko and rebellion within the ranks over the selection of candidates may dampen the UDF바카라s prospects. The Congress faced major embarrassment after Mahila Congress president Lathika Subhash tonsured her head protesting against denial of an assembly ticket.
D. Dhanuraj of the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) says the UDF campaign is yet to gather steam, and that the Congress seems to be struggling with low morale and lack of focus. 바카라Right now, the LDF has an edge over the UDF in terms of campaigning and a strong CM candidate. Infighting is affecting the Congress a lot. As the Chandy group has been sidelined, they are not active in the campaign. We need to wait for a week more to watch the trend,바카라 he adds. However, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala accuses rival parties of spreading canards and claims his party will win this time. 바카라As we are a democratic party, Chacko바카라s exit hasn바카라t affected us. We also offered Lathika Subhash a ticket, but she insisted on contesting from Ettumanoor. We have introduced several new faces in this election,바카라 says Chennithala.
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Senior Congress leader K. Sudhakaran바카라s statement that the party is doomed if it fails to come to power has also put the Congress in a spot. Party leaders admit privately that it is a matter of prestige for Rahul Gandhi, who is Wayanad MP. 바카라I don바카라t subscribe to the view that our members will join the BJP if the Congress doesn바카라t come to power. Kerala is different from Pondicherry and Manipur, and we are set to win,바카라 says Chennithala.
Observers say the Congress has brought back the vexed issue of women바카라s entry to the Sabarimala temple as a last resort. In its manifesto, the party has proposed legislation to ban the entry of menstruating women. The LDF, on its part, has made it clear that it will wait for the Supreme Court bench바카라s verdict and discuss the issue with all stakeholders. 바카라The Sabarimala issue won바카라t work anymore,바카라 says Shailaja. 바카라We allowed women바카라s entry in 2018 because they came with the Supreme Court order. Now the issue is pending before a larger bench. We never hurt the sentiments of devotees or impose our decisions. Let the devotees decide.바카라
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Poll Pot
Kitchen Cabinet
The Great Indian Kitchen is perhaps the most talked-about Malayalam movie in recent times, winning rave reviews in national and international forums for its sensitive handling of patriarchal politics and the drudgery of everyday life of women in the kitchen. It seems that the movie had a direct impact on the manifestos of the main political parties in Kerala, which goes to polls on April 6. It came as a huge surprise to many when the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front바카라s manifesto offered pension to all housewives in the state. 바카라No state has so far provided a special security pension to housewives yet,바카라 said a party leader.
Soon after, the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front also promised Rs 2,000 as monthly support to housewives in the 40-60 age group.
As congratulatory messages for the movie바카라s director Geo Baby flooded social media for inspiring political parties, some cynics even wondered if the perks are a ploy to keep women in the kitchen forever!
- The Indian Union Muslim League, an ally in the Congress-led UDF, has fielded Noorbina Rashid for the Kozhikode South seat, the party바카라s first woman candidate in 25 years.
By Preetha Nair in Kottayam
