Changanassery: The forthcoming assembly elections are going to be a totally different experience for the voters of the Changanassery legislative assembly constituency in Kerala's Kottayam district.
During the last four decades the constituency was represented by late C F Thomas of the Kerala Congress (Mani). After a long while a state election without their dear "CF", as he was popularly known, is upon them.
In other words, for the first time after 1980 the voters of Changanassery are going to elect a new representative.
As a place Changanassery is special in many ways; when flood waters threaten thev low-lying parts of adjoining Kuttaanad people take refuge in Changanassery. The journey towards the high-range Idukki district begins from Changanassery. Being the headquarters of the Nair Service Society and the Archdiocese of Changanacherry, the largest Catholic diocese in Kerala state, all ears await to listen about the stand to be taken by the community organizations.
Moreover, political leaders make it a point to visit Changanassery from time to time as it is the nerve centre of two major communities.
Kerala Congress fight
Changanacherry is one of the four assembly seats where the Kerala Congress (Joseph) and Kerala Congress (Mani) groups are contesting against each other this time on behalf of the United Democratic Front and the Left Democratic Front, respectively
While Changanassery stood with the UDF in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2016 assembly polls, in the recent local bodies elections the LDF secured a majority in the municipality and village panchayats nearby.
C F Thomas won by a margin of 1,849 votes in 2016 assembly polls and by 2,554 votes in 2011. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections Changanassery, which falls in the Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency, gave a majority of 23,410 votes to the winning UDF candidate Kodikkunil Suresh.
However, the situation on the ground changed drastically after the Kerala Congress (Mani) left the UDF and joined the LDF last year. In the recent local bodies poll, barring one panchayat the LDF won all grama panchayats within the constituency.
The UDF is ruling Changanassery municipality with the support of an independent member. The BJP which secured 20,000 votes in 2016 is making a strong bid this time.
Election fever caught up early
The poll fever started rising in Changanassery even before the elections were announced, but the suspense over Changanassery candidate prolonged for some time. When the possibility of a bypoll arose following the death of sitting MLA C F Thomas, the representatives of political parties and political leaders initiated discussions on the prospective candidates.
After the state election was announced last month, the LDF was caught in a bind over the differences pertaining to alloting the Changanassery seat to an LDF party. The seat-sharing talks in LDF got delayed by three days with the Kerala Congress (Mani), CPI and Janadhipathya Kerala Congress staking claim for the Changanassery seat.
Meanwhile, the suspense in the UDF over the candidate of Kerala Congress (Joseph) faction too went on for days.
Know your candidates
UDF candidate V J Laly of the Kerala Congress (Joseph) is a member of the party's high-power committee. He was the president of the Madapally Block Panchayat. He is confident that his work at the grassroots level would hold him in good stead.
"There would be at least one person everywhere who addresses me as "sir"," Laly says.
His campaign style reflects the typical attributes of a teacher. He avoids the din often associated with election campaigns.
Job Michael of the LDF's Kerala Congress (Mani) says he will be widely acceptable because of his active presence in the constituency and that too for such a long period. He is a lawyer.
He started his campaign early and is focussing more on squad work.
He is a member of his party's high-power committee and was a member of the Kottayam District Panchayat.
NDA candidate G Raman Nair, who was with the Congress until 2018, says there is no path on which he has not walked in Changanassery for carrying out organisational and election duties for his former party. He was closely associated with the INTUC-affiliated headload workers union.
He laments that the Congress saw him only as a headload worker. The plus point during the campaign is that he need not be introduced to anyone. He is hopeful of converting his past contacts into votes.
Currently, Raman Nair is the state vice-president of the BJP.
