It was around 4 pm when Mathew Kuzhalnadan, the UDF candidate in Muvattupuzha constituency, left Parambanchery, a small junction in Pothanicad panchayat, after a grand reception accorded to him by party supporters. Apart from some middle-aged party workers, youth accounted for a major chunk of his entourage.
Joseph (name changed), one of them, was confident that the UDF would wrest the seat this time. He cited Kuzhalnadan's personal appeal among the voters as the main reason for that. However, soon pointing at a hoarding of LDF candidate and sitting MLA Eldho Abraham, Joseph added that “there are no allegations against him too”. Did he just express his uncertainty over the poll results?
Joseph's views about both the major candidates perhaps sums up the dilemma of the electorate in Muvattupuzha, an agrarian constituency in the east of Ernakulam district. The battle here is primarily between two youngsters known for their clean image.
This is Kuzhalnadan's debut electoral foray while Abraham is contesting his second consecutive electoral battle. A Congress worker since student days, Kuzhalnadan is a KPCC general secretary now. Before that he was the state president of the All India Professionals Congress. A Supreme Court lawyer and a prominent Congress voice on TV debates, Kuzhalnadan's interventions for the PSC rank holders and the expose of the alleged irregularities in electricity billing during the lockdown days had hogged headlines.
Abraham was also a darling of the media after his win in 2016. Much was written about his poor financial background which he braved to become a leader of the people. He belongs to the CPI, the second largest party in the CPM-led LDF.
Recent election history should worry Abraham. No incumbent MLA has retained the seat since 2001. Johny Nellore (Kerala Congress) who won the 2001 elections lost it to Babu Paul (CPI) in 2006. Babu Paul was defeated by Joseph Vazhackan (Congress) in 2011. Vazhackan lost the polls in 2016 to Abraham. However, these are different times and every other day somebody is predicting a second term for the LDF government which is not usual in the state's history. Abraham also is pinning his hopes on the LDF's confidence which is being advertised big time.
Addressing people at Valakom junction around 6 in the evening, he asks the people why should they elect an MLA who is going to sit in the opposition benches. He lists out the achievements of the Pinarayi Vijayan government before counting the works he has done and initiated in the constituency.
Kuzhalnadan's narrative, on the other side, is that he would make Muvattupuzha a better city. The present MLA has not explored the possibilities of the city at all, he alleges.
“Muvattupuzha is already one of the best cities in the state. No doubt about that. However, the reality is that in the past five years Muvattupuzha missed the development that it deserved. Such a feeling is rampant among the people,” he said.
His specific promises include a solution to the frequent traffic blocks in the city, projects to alleviate the distress in the agriculture sector and development of rural areas and drinking water projects. He also promises to make maximum use of the exposure he has gained with his education and professional experience for improving the employability of the youth. He has a PhD in law from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.
A class war?
An interesting narrative doing the rounds in the constituency makes the fight looks like a class war. Kuzhalnadan's nomination submission became the talk of the town as he declared assets worth Rs 32 crore. It positioned him against 'the poor Communist MLA' Eldho Abraham.
Asked about it, Kuzhalnadan said, “Let me make it clear, politics should not be individual-centric. Here the contest is not between Mathew Kuzhalnadan and Eldho Abraham. It's between the LDF and UDF. I don't want to make any personal remarks against anyone. Nor do we attempt to expose what some people have deliberately kept hidden. The LDF has thrown a challenge to debate development. I'm ready to take up that challenge and debate the development of Muvattupuzha.”
Though he says the contest is between the two political formations, in Kuzhalnadan's case his organisational skills seem to be helping him big time. Soon after his candidature was announced, he arranged a huge roadshow. During the Citizenship Act protests, he had organised a secular march in Muvattupuzha bringing together thousands of people.
“All these youths are at the campaign front just because of Kuzhalnadan's personal appeal. He wields huge influence among them. Also, the party cadre has almost overcome factional feuds,” a local party leader said.
For Abraham, the LDF machinery is working overtime to ensure his victory.
BJP and Twenty20
The BJP is a non-player in Muvattupuzha going by the previous elections. In 2016, when the party performed its best to the date in several parts of the state, BJP candidate P J Thomas could poll only 9,759 votes in Muvattupuzha. It was close to Abraham's winning margin of 9,375 votes. In 2011, Jiji Joseph polled just 4,367 votes. Joseph is contesting this time too.
More than BJP, all eyes are on the performance of Twenty-20, the political grouping backed by the Kitex group. The corporate-sponsored party has fielded C N Prakash, a journalist in Muvattupuzha.
Both LDF and UDF sources acknowledge that Twenty-20, with its Kizhakkambalam panchayat model, may influence a section of voters who are politically non-committal. How would it impact the results would be known only on May 2.
