Kannur constituency | Campaign in fever pitch as seasoned politicians fight it out

UDF, LDF, and BJP candidates in Kannur Lok Sabha constituency gear up for a high-stakes election battle.

Enthusiasm of party workers is at fever pitch as the UDF candidate in the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency K. Sudhakaran makes his entry, flanked by a galaxy of senior Congress leaders to Panunda, a small village located nearly 20 km away from the district headquarters, on Sunday morning. Firecracker bursts propel their spirit to its zenith as they are all determined to celebrate the carnival of democracy in its full glow.

“If your selection is going wrong this time, it will be a test to our country’s existence,” says Mr. Sudhakaran, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) State president, while opening his day’s campaign in the village. This high-profile Congress candidate draws the attention of his voters with a claim that the country is facing a huge “identity crisis” now, where they can only make the necessary intervention.

As workers form a queue to present him shawls and Golden Shower bouquets, the KPCC president who seeks a second innings in the constituency makes it clear that his candidature this time is the result of his party’s decision. “As the sitting MP, I did my level best and the allegations raised by the opponents citing poor utilisation of MP funds are baseless,” he clarifies.

Meanwhile, the LDF candidate M.V. Jayarajan finds the upcoming election as a chance for the voters to honour people who do the best for the country. “The Congress and BJP leadership have gone after the corporate agenda with their deliberate silence against communalism, which will have to be dealt with very seriously,” he says while addressing the campaigns at Kottali and Podikkundu on Saturday morning.

Creativity is at its best in the LDF campaigns as party workers greet their candidate with photo-printed masks, T-Shirts, placards, and red balloons. For Mr. Jayarajan, electioneering speeches are now like one-on-one chats to establish a personal touch with the voters. Increasing presence of elderly people and children continue to steal the LDF show in villages.

“We have already covered about 50% of the total electorate as our campaign ends only at 9 p.m.,” says Mr. Jayarajan, the Kannur district secretary of CPI(M). My request to the electorate this time is that they should elect a person who can address their needs, he adds.

BJP candidate C. Raghunath is truly aware of his challenge as he competes against two high-profile opponents having long years of experience in the home turf. But the BJP leadership is confident that Mr. Raghunath, a former Congress leader, can certainly influence the electorate and create magic.