The Pathanamthitta district is facing a strange electoral crisis. The decreasing population rate of the south Kerala district may cause a delimitation that essentially reduces the number of assembly constituencies in the district. Pathanamthitta is represented by five assembly constituencies now, down from the original eight.
This means that competition for the available seats among political leaders is fiercer in Pathanamthitta. Though the district is in the big league when it comes to area, it has recorded negative growth in population, largely because of migration. The politics of the district centre on the issues faced by expatriates and farmers. To complicate matters further, a three-cornered contest has emerged.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front can no longer claim total allegiance from Pathanamthitta. That trend changed in the last 10 years. The UDF is still winning the national election from this area, but the CPM-led Left Democratic Front is chosen when it comes to the state election. The BJP has made its mark in elections to the local self-government bodies.
The district is still haunted by the devastating flood of 2018 and its trail. Though the roads and bridges have been reconstructed, the local economy is yet to rebound. Many families are trying to stay afloat as the retail sector continues to be in a slowdown.
As soon as the water receded, the district was thrown into a fiery agitation against the Supreme Court order to let women of all ages into the popular hill shrine of Sabarimala. Pathanamthitta became an epicentre of the incidents that came to dominate the Lok Sabha election in Kerala in 2019. The price degradation of agricultural crops and the return of jobless expatriates are stinging issues in the district. The people are also demanding better transport facilities, education infrastructure, tourism development and the establishment of IT-based enterprises.
Each assembly segment in the district has its own problems and political mood. In fact, local politics make the election more interesting. In 2016, the LDF won four of the five seats and topped it with a byelection that gave the ruling front all five seats in the district. The UDF and the BJP have their hopes too.
Aranmula
Aranmula was expected to be a strong three-cornered contest. LDF sitting MLA Veena George is seeking another term. Her opponent remains the same – K Sivadasan Nair of the UDF. Since the assembly election of 2016, the LDF saw it trailing in the segment in the Lok Sabha election but rebounded in the local body election.
Though the UDF was initially played by a dissident, they believe they have won over P Mohanraj who has returned to the fold. Though the BJP was supposed to have high stakes in the constituency, the choice of local leader Biju Mathew as the party candidate had raised uncomfortable questions.
Ranni
Ranni shot into primetime news when the CPM gave the seat away to new ally Kerala Congress (M). The CPM has been winning the seat for 25 years.
The UDF is rubbing it in by highlighting the lapses in flood rehabilitation and evoking memories of the Sabarimala agitation that put the state government in a spot. The Congress has picked Rinku Cherian, son of former MLA M C Cherian, to take on LDF candidate Pramod Narayanan. K Padmakumar represents the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena in the BJP ally’s sole seat in the district.
Both the LDF and the UDF have picked fresh faces to seek the verdict. The UDF has targeted their opponent as an outsider, much like the LDF painted Peelipose Thomas in 1996 when he was a UDF candidate.
The CPM cadre’s disillusion over the handing over of the seat to Kerala Congress and the Kerala Congress tie-up with BJP in the Ranni panchayat are also deciding factors. The UDF is still struggling with the repercussions related to the fight over the choice of candidate.
Konni
Konni’s electoral arena is definitely three-cornered. The LDF wants to defend the seat it wrested from the UDF in a byelection. K U Janeesh Kumar continues to be the LDF face in the seat, while the UDF has fielded Robin Peter as a challenger. BJP state president K Surendran expects to win the seat, though he finished third in the byelection.
The BJP has headwinds in the constituency, including charges of a “BJP-CPM” deal as propounded by disgruntled RSS veteran R Balasankar. Surendran’s decision to contest from two constituencies has also made talking points.
Adoor
Chittayam Gopakumar is seeking a third term for the LDF, while the UDF has fielded Youth Congress district president M G Kannan. The NDA candidate is Pandalam Prathapan, who left the Congress for the BJP.
Chittayam is confident of victory, given his vast contacts and familiarity in the constituency. The UDF has a long way to go. The BJP pins its hopes on its vote share in the Lok Sabha and local body elections.
Tiruvalla
Mathew T Thomas started his campaign in Tiruvalla much earlier than his opponents. The UDF has picked Kerala Congress freshman Kunju Koshy Paul as a challenger in the constituency. Thomas is confident in its third fight, while Paul swears by his experience in local body governance. The UDF, however, is still plagued by the differences triggered by the selection of the candidate.
Even the BJP had a tough time picking a candidate for Tiruvalla. The party’s district president Asokan Kulanada was picked only after rejecting Yuva Morcha national secretary Anoop Antony.
