Voters in hiding & candidate on the run; election hardly a priority in this Kerala village

Thamarasserry: A candidate faces local body elections from his hideout, and a group of voters have decamped the place, fearing cops in Kerala's Thamarassery panchayat. Caught in the middle of riotous protests in October against a meat waste rendering plant, many residents in the area were accused in different cases.

They have vacated the place, dreading arrest. Onmanorama has earlier reported as to how even the students skipped classes after their parents chose to stay away from the place.

The Muslim League candidate, Sainul Abideen, popularly known as Babu Kudukkil, was at the forefront of the protests. The police have issued a lookout notice against him. On November 21, he managed to sneak out of his hideout and submit the nomination, much to the surprise of the police.

"He was not present at the protests, but faced charges for being the chairman of the organisation," says Thampi PP, a protest committee leader. He also added that Babu was an active leader in the movement against the Fresh Cut Plant, suggesting that this was the likely reason he was charged with conspiracy.

Appearing as a first-time candidate for the IUML in the newly formed Karingamanna ward in the Thamarassery Panchayath, Babu filed for candidacy through the Muslim League leadership, which Hafis Rahman, a party leader, delegated. The police said that they are probing as to how he emerged out of hiding and filed the nomination. Hafis has already been questioned.

Babu's entire campaign is limited to the posters on the walls and flex boards lined up on the streets. "We don't need the candidate to be present for campaigning. There are party workers here for that, and we have the people backing us," says PS Muhammadali, a local leader of the IUML.

While campaigning without the candidate can be passed off as circumstantial, can the leader's physical presence be waived off if Babu emerges victorious?

"When he wins, we will take the rightful legal steps to challenge the cases and charges against him," says Muhammadali. For the people here, polls are the least of their concerns. "Our husbands are in hiding, forfeiting work and income," says a resident who prefers to remain unnamed. "They probably won't vote, but that is not as big a problem as not being able to afford necessities," she adds.

On October 22, residents gathered outside the Fresh Cut Organics Ltd factory to protest against an unbearable stench and pollution from the factory's operations. However, what was intended as a peaceful gathering quickly turned violent, resulting in clashes with the police that left many injured. At the forefront of the protests was the Fresh Cut Samara Samidhi. Babu Kudukkil, the organisation's chairman, became a prime target, along with several others who have since gone into hiding.

"Most people who went into hiding have not come back," says a resident of the nearby Kodanchery panchayath. "I don't think they would be able to come and vote. We don't know who all the police are after since no formal list of accused was released. So everyone, including the innocent people, are still in hiding out of fear," she says.

While the police presence in the region has thinned, and tensions have thawed, the investigations continue. With many of them unable to go for jobs, the question of democratic rights and political participation is not a priority for the affected families.

The young voters who usually take part in the campaign are missing from the scene. A Aravindan, the ward member for Parappanpoyil West however feels that the overall outcome would not be affected. "The people are with us," he adds.