With Kerala polls round the corner, candidates have put an end to the massive election campaigning that has been on for several weeks.
The ruling UDF government hopes to retain its power, the Left’s maintains confidence at the doom of UDF more than its own merit and BJP hopes against hope to make its mark in Kerala legislature.
And at VS Achutananthan’s constituency of Malambuzha, the fight is on the streets with candidates presenting themselves everywhere, except for one candidate: AIADMK’s CP Sridharan, who has apparently not been spotted by anyone, anywhere.
The people of Pudussery panchayat in Malambuzha constituency say they have not seen the AIADMK candidate in person even once. In fact, even Sridharan accepts that he did not go campaigning on foot to meet anyone.
After weeks of 'campaigning' however, CP Sridharan, is confident to tap into the Tamil base in the constituency in his favour.
Speaking to The News Minute, he said, “Malambuzha constituency has a considerable number of Tamil-speaking voters and we are sure that they, especially the women, want Amma to come to power here.”
49-year-old Sridharan who hails from Kalpathy in Palakkad district is self-assured that Amma’s grace will befall on the people of Palakkad.
Sukumaran, a farmer, said that despite not having seen the candidate in flesh and blood, he would consider supporting AIADMK. “I have only seen him in the huge party flexes on road-sides. What has the other parties done for the farmer folks? Let’s see what Amma party can provide us this time.”
MGR and Amma look down from the two huge AIADMK posters that are kept on both sides of 42-year-old Shabariyar’s road-side tea stall. Sridharan finds place on the right bottom of the poster.
Asked whether he is a supporter of Amma, Shabariyar laughed heartily and admitted that though he has half a mind to cast his vote for the AIADMK, the fact that the candidate has not even once come on a door-to-door campaign acts as a deterrent.
It is best left for time to decide whether Amma’s grace will rain down on the people of the constituency.
Jayalalitha’s AIADMK has fielded seven candidates to contest from across the state-three in Palakkad, 3 in Idukki and 1 in Thiruvananthapuram.
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