Political parties keep fingers crossed over poll outcome

UDF, LDF hope to make gains at rival’s cost

Both the main fronts, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M]-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) are keeping their fingers crossed over the poll outcome in 13 Assembly constituency segments in Kozhikode district. Leaders of political parties are trying out different methods from the booth-level on calculating which way the election will turn out on May 2. “The LDF will make a clean sweep. We are confident of retaining all our sitting seats. And we hope to capture the Kuttiyadi and the Kozhikode South seats as well,” P. Mohanan, district secretary of CPI(M), said. The Left parties had stolen a march over its rivals in the electioneering as they had been able to choose their candidates without big hurdles unlike the Congress. But the unrest in the local cadre over allotting the Kuttiyadi seat to the Jose K. Mani faction of the Kerala Congress (M) rocked the party initially.