Kochi: With less than a week for the Thrikkakara bypoll, the United Democratic Front (UDF) is putting up a strong fight to retain the legislative assembly constituency which has been a stronghold of the Congress party so far.
Opposition leader and Congress legislator V D Satheesan has been at the forefront of the campaign for the bypoll scheduled to be held on May 31.
Satheesan has been working tirelessly for the last several days and is also busy devising poll strategies for the front on behalf of UDF candidate Uma Thomas.
His day begins early in the morning. He would meet the voters in person to seek votes and makes door-to-door visits. Instead of just taking part in public events, Satheesan focuses more on interacting with the heads of establishments and communities. He also makes it a point to attend family get-togethers ('kudumba sangamam' in local parlance).
Late in the night, he takes stock of the campaign programmes once back at the party office. After mulling over opinions, giving instructions, and making modifications, it was curtains on yet another busy day on the campaign trail for the opposition leader.
Targets govt
On the campaign trail, Satheesan strongly criticised the state government and launched a scathing attack against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the recent incident in which a boy was seen raising provocative slogans at a rally of an Islamic outfit in Alappuzha.
"Why is the Chief Minister so weak when it comes to confronting communal forces? Is the CPM workers calling this CM their captain?" he asked. Taking a veiled dig at the CPM workers, he said, "If you are fighting the battle under the leadership of this captain, you better find an escape route too."
Condemning the incident as a threat to the secular fabric of Kerala, Satheesan demanded that the person who made the child raise provocative slogans to be found.
The opposition leader raised similar criticisms against the government’s handling of the actress assault case.
