Kerala, TN, Puducherry ready to vote as campaigning ends

Campaigning ended on Saturday in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry for May 16 assembly polls, ringing the curtain down on the grueling two-month-long exercise.

The ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front is up against the Left Democratic Front headed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist in Kerala. For the Bharatiya Janata Party, it is turning out to be a battle of prestige after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s whirlwind campaign and war of words with Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, and the party is keen to open its account in the assembly.

A total of 2.61 crore people in Kerala are eligible to cast their votes on May 16 to elect 140 lawmakers in the assembly out of 1,203 candidates, including 109 women.

The LDF too will be facing another crucial contest to stage a comeback in Kerala as in West Bengal, where the six-phase assembly election ended on May 5.

The Left has a tie-up with the Congress in West Bengal and the two sides took pains to assert that it will not affect their prospects in the two states.

The last leg of poll campaign saw many national leaders canvassing for their parties.

Though campaign started on state-centric issues like solar and bar bribery scams in Kerala, it took a new turn after Modi kicked up a row with his comparison of Kerala with Somalia.

Congress leader Chandy, heading the UDF campaign, was quick to latch onto the remark to hit back at the BJP and Modi, saying ‘the prime minister has insulted the people of Kerala’.

There was also war of words between the BJP and Chandy over the expenses borne for bringing back people from strife torn Libya to Kerala.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, party leaders A K Antony and Ghulam Nabi Azad, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India national secretary Sudhakar Reddy, CPI-M leader and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Former prime minister H D Deva Gowda and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were among the prominent politicians who took part in the campaign.

The BJP this time is fighting along with its key ally Bharath Dharam Jana Sena, a new party formed by Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, a powerful outfit of backward Ezhava community.

Tamil Nadu is witnessing a multi-cornered contest with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Congress, the People’s Welfare Frong-Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam-Tamil Maanila Congress combine, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance and the Pattali Makkal Katchi in the fray.

More than 5.79 crore voters in 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu will decide the fate of 3,776 aspirants, including four chief ministerial candidates -- incumbent J Jayalalithaa of the AIADMK, DMK’s M Karunanidhi, DMDK’s Vijayakant and Anbumani Ramadoss of the PMK.

Jayalalithaa is seeking a second successive term in office in the state, where elections have dethroned the ruling party in recent decades.

While the Opposition, including the DMK and the BJP, harped on prohibition and corruption, Jayalalithaa sought votes on her government’s five-year performance.

Flow of illegal money was a major challenge for electoral authorities which seized an unprecedented Rs 100 crore of unaccounted cash. Of this, Rs 37 crore had, however, been returned to the owners on submission of documents.

In Puducherry, 9.43 lakh voters will decide the fate of over 300 candidates in 30 seats.

The election process announced for West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry assemblies on March 8 will conclude on May 19, when the results will be declared.

Assembly election concluded in two phases in Assam on April 11.

Various political party leaders addressed meetings, took out road shows and vehicle processions till minutes before the deadline for the campaign ended at 6 pm.

The campaigning reached a crescendo as workers with party flags and vehicles converged in important junctions and raised slogans for their respective candidates across the state.

Minor scuffles between rival party workers have been reported from Balaramapuram, Angamally, Cheruplassery and some places in Vatakara, police said.

Election road shows were held by senior Congress leader A K Antony, Union minister Smriti Irani, film actor Suresh Gopi, the newly-nominated BJP MP along with candidates.

BJP president, Amit Shah and CPI-M general secretary, Sitaram Yechury were also in the state capital on Saturday to give a final impetus to the party campaigns.

For the 140 assembly seats, 1,203 candidates, including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, 93-year-old CPI-M leader V S Achutanandan, who was the poll mascot of the left front, Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan, BJP state president, Kummanam Rajasekharan and cricketer Sreesanth are among those in fray.

Corruption scams-- AugustaWestland chopper deal, 2G, 3G, Commonwealth games, solar, prohibition-- and brutal rape and murder of a Dalit woman, were the key topics of discussion during the nearly two-month-long election trail.

UDF convener P P Thankachan said they had ‘Shubha Prateesksha’ that there will be continuation of the Congress rule in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial Kerala-Somalia comparison during a poll campaign drew the ire of rival fronts and was a talking point in the social media.

The strength of the Kerala electorate is 2.61 crore.

Image: BJP workers take out a bike rally during the last lap of campaigning ahead of the state assembly elections, in Kozhikode on Saturday. Photograph: PTI Photo