Assembly election campaign is fought excitedly in the land of kabaddi. Kasaragod district spans over the eastern hills, western coast and the plains in between. The district’s politics is also dominated by three political formations - Muslim League and the BJP vie with each other in the northern segments of Kasaragod and Manjeswaram while the CPM stays strong in Trikkaripur, Kanhangad and Uduma.
Uduma, however, gives the Congress high hopes this time. The Congress expects to win back the assembly segment after a gap of 30 years.
Further north in Manjeswaram, BJP state president K Surendran is working hard to win the segment he lost by 89 votes five years ago. The races are getting as interesting as a kabbadi tournament.
While the Muslim League is trying to guard Manjeswaram and Kasaragod, the CPM-led Left Democratic Front is confident that Trikkaripur and Kanhangad will continue to be red bastions. All eyes are on Manjeswaram and Uduma this time. Will the Congress be able to wrest Uduma from the CPM? Can the BJP tide over the tiny margin in Manjeswaram?
The BJP campaign in the district is centred around Surendran, who is also the party’s candidate in Manjeswaram. The UDF campaign is led by Kasaragod MP Rajmohan Unnithan, while the LDF machinery is steered by CPM central committee member P Karunakaran.
The UDF plans to tap into the revulsion to political violence in the first assembly election since the shocking murder of two party activists near Periya. The LDF, meanwhile, has trained its gun on M C Kamaruddin MLA, who was accused in a gold investment scam. Another talking point is a lack of infrastructure in the healthcare sector in the district.
Abreast in Manjeswaram
The Muslim League won Manjeswaram in the 2016 assembly election by just 89 votes. When MLA P B Abdul Razak died in harness, the Muslim League increased the lead to 7,927 votes in a by-election. That gives the UDF much comfort, but the BJP expects Surendran to raise the stakes.
The LDF has fielded V V Rameshan, former chairman of the Kanhangad municipality. The LDF has been relegated to the third slot in Manjeswaram in all elections since 2006 when C H Kunjambu was elected a legislator. The LDF expects Rameshan to ensure that committed party votes are cast in his favour. Minority votes tend to go in favour of the UDF if they fear that the BJP is about to win. The Kannada-speaking community is also a key factor in this border constituency.
Comfortably Kasaragod
The UDF is comfortably placed in the Kasaragod segment, no matter which previous election you look at. Muslim League’s N A Nellikkunnu is seeking verdict for a third time. As in Manjeswaram, the BJP is the nearest rival.
BJP district president K Sreekanth is representing the party in Kasaragod. The party which controls the Maddur, Bellur and Karadukka panchayats is a force to reckon with, but the UDF is guaranteed a win in Kasaragod. CPM ally INL wanted to shift to another seat with a higher chance of victory, but eventually settled on Kasaragod itself and fielded A A Latheef.
Uduma on the fence
No Congress candidate has won from Uduma since 1987 when K P Kunhikkannan was elected to the assembly. Yet the Congress counts on Uduma this time.
The assembly segment includes the Kalyott area which witnessed the Periya double murders that put the CPM in the defensive. The UDF expects to capitalise on the people’s opposition to political violence.
The Congress tried to storm Uduma by fielding Kannur strongman K Sudhakaran in 2016, but he lost to incumbent K Kunhiraman by 3,832 votes. However, Rajmohan Unnithan reversed the trend in Uduma when he contested as a Congress candidate in the Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency. He had a lead of 8,937 votes in the Uduma assembly segment. That number is key to the UDF gameplan.
On the other hand, the LDF can pin its hopes on the 6,383 vote lead it gathered in the local self-government bodies that fall within the area. The CPM has fielded state committee member C H Kunjambu, who gave the party a surprise victory in Manjeswaram in 2006.
The Congress candidate is KPCC secretary Balakrishnan Periya. BJP district secretary A Velayudhan is the other challenger.
Kanhangad is committed
The UDF has never won the seat since 1987. The red bastion is almost sure of electing CPI leader E Chandrasekharan, a state minister, for a third time. His candidature had led to a small revolt within the party. CPI leader and LDF mandalam convener Bangalam P Kunhikrishnan resigned in protest. Chandrasekharan had a comfortable lead of 26,011 votes in 2016.
That lead was reduced to 2,221 votes in the Lok Sabha election, in which Congress’s Unnithan won the larger parliamentary constituency. Congress district general secretary P V Suresh will represent the UDF this time, while the BJP has fielded M Balraj as the NDA candidate.
Trikkarippur leans left
The LDF won the assembly segment by 16,959 votes in 2016. Yet the ruling front saw its lead in the segment reduced to 1,899 votes in the parliamentary election. The LDF fought back to increase its lead to 18,262 votes in the recent local body elections.
Sitting MLA M Rajagopalan will be the LDF candidate this time also. The UDF has left the seat for the Kerala Congress (Joseph), which has fielded M P Joseph, son-in-law of K M Mani. T V Shibin is the BJP candidate.
