Vazhikkadavu: Alangadan Muhammad alias Nani, the UDF-backed independent candidate from the Panchayathangadi ward in Vazhikkadavu panchayat, would have been happier had the authorities allowed him to contest with a shoulder bag as his election symbol. Instead, he was allotted the apple.

For the people of his village, Muhammad and his cloth shoulder bag are inseparable. They have never seen him without it. Now, as he sets out for the campaign trail, he continues to carry the same cloth bag , which prominently displays his election symbol.

For the past 18 years, the shoulder bag has rested on Muhammad’s shoulders. Ask him what it contains and he has a ready reply, “This bag is full of the people’s problems.” Most of its contents are application forms for various government schemes and benefits. The bag also holds complaints submitted by residents to various government offices.

Muhammad is known for helping people by tracing suitable government schemes for them, supplying application forms, and even assisting in filling them out. He currently serves as a panchayat member representing the Alappoyil ward in Vazhikkadavu.

In the previous election, he won by a margin of 243 votes. This time, the UDF has fielded him in the Panchayathangadi ward with he intension of wresting control of this CPM stronghold. The LDF candidate, P K Abdul Kareem, is also a sitting panchayat member.