Neelamperoor, a small village in Lower Kuttanad of Alappuzha district, is factoring in a cause that may sound trivial, but pivotal to the region, for this LSG polls - a playground. The P N Panicker Smaraka Kalisthalam, a public playground established after the father of library movement in Kerala, has been lying in dilapidation for the past thirty years. It has been the demand from residents, mostly youngsters, to revive the playground, which became unusable by encroachment of buildings and other public facilities in Ward 2 of Neelamperoor Panchayat. After years of neglect and false promises, the residents have come together and resorted to a steadfast resolve - vote for the party that will make the playground a reality.

A group of youngsters and sports enthusiasts have decided to defy their party affiliations and stand united for the cause of their long-pending demand. "It was a promise made 30 years ago, and it still remains on paper. Various party dispensations which kept decorating the seat of power, instead of making a headway, allowed new building to come up and thickets to cover the land earmarked for the playground," Jayadeep K J, a sports enthusiast and resident of Neelamperoor says and adds, "we, around 400 residents in the ward have decided that we'll be voting for the party which provides us with an agreement in writing that they would make the playground a reality."

K M Mathew, the member of ward 2, says he was part of the force that made strident calls to revive the ground. "But launching such a project requires huge funding, and it can be hardly pulled off at the panchayat level. It can materialise only if government funds can be channelled from a higher level." Mathew is not contesting the polls this time but says he too wishes to see the playground happening as the place is home to multitudes of sports enthusiasts. "Though some buildings and a waste treatment unit have encroached the land, the plan can still fructify as there is enough land at the site and can be filled to construct the playground," he says.

The ward is a CPM bastion, and K M Mathew, a Kerala Congress (Mani) leader, says that only the ruling dispensation can make this happen and that it's unfortunate the ruling party failed to take the matter seriously enough. Though the demand has been so vehement, it is being raised so vociferously now.

"The region has produced several sports talents. We have several players in Cricket, football, volleyball, athletics items, like javelin throw, shot put and so on. Our demand is to create a sports facility which accommodates all such common disciplines," Jayadeep says, "All we now have is a volleyball court in a sorry state. A waste treatment plant operated by Haritha Karma Sena, an anganawadi and a PHC building are the prominent features in the ground now."

Prince G, another youth from Neelemperoor, claims that about 150 boys who are miffed by the lack of a playground in the region have decided to vote for the party, which makes a concrete plan to construct the stadium. There are many, who defected from the ruling front, which gave a cold shoulder to their demand. Prince himself was a CPM worker till last year. He is now contesting in the LSG polls on a BJP ticket.

"A playground has been a long-standing demand, and sports is a predominant pastime here. Earlier, we used to play in the NSS School ground. Now the ground is waterlogged and is rendered unusable. So we rent out a turf in Puthenpalam in Chingavanam at the cost of ₹1800 per hour. The amount is huge for us, but we share the cost as we are sports lovers to the core," says Prince.

The LDF has been ruling the ward for more than twenty years now, and the residents are dissatisfied with the local body authority's poor show on other developmental fronts as well, including drinking water facilities and roads. The promise of a playground is now the promo material for major political parties in the area. It remains to be seen which front will make this dream a reality. Meanwhile, the major fronts are heard to have started taking note of the issue seriously and have initiated discussions.

Neelamperoor, the land of temples and churches, boasts several unique features, which include the famed Pooram Padayani. People in the village claim to have inherited the festival from a tradition initiated by Cheraman Perumal, a South Indian ruler who was termed the Bhakti-poet musician. It's also home to P N Panicker, whose Kerala Grandhasala Sangham and the cultural activities it initiated were instrumental in augmenting universal literacy in Kerala. Bordering with Kurichy Panchayat of Kottayam, Neelempeoroor is unique with a topography slightly different from the rest of the land and a cultural fabric more vibrant.