Kollam: The leaders who fought shoulder-to-shoulder against UDF Government till a few weeks ago are now locking horns for the electoral battle in Kollam, which is expected to go down to the wire.
DC on Saturday caught up with the candidates; CPM politburo member M. A. Baby and RSP leader N. K. Premachandran during their second leg of campaigning.
Considering the scorching summer heat, Baby set out for campaigning quite early at 7 am along with LDF workers who included a symbolic eight-member team of RSP workers led by district committee member Kilikolloor Sainuddin. Baby began his road show from Press Club in the presence of LDF supporters.
His next stop was the railway station. After a brief welcome ceremony by leaders of Left trade unions, Baby met railway employees and then moved among the passengers on the platform and sought their support.
His rival N. K. Premachandran, also hit the roads quite early heading straight to Tsunami colony at Mayyanad. After lending ear to problems of 300 odd families, he promised to help them.
If livelihood and housing issues featured in Mayyanad, the RSP decision to leave LDF figured prominently at Eravipuram. “We were forced to exit the front. It was a well thought out political decision. I stand firmly behind the party decision,’’ he told a group of voters who did not seem quite convinced by his explanation. Premachandran is banking on the party symbol,spade and stoker which is quite familiar in the constituency.
Baby after his road show, headed towards colonies in Eravipuram area. On the way he visited workers in cashew factories spread across the Assembly segment. At one factory he received a rousing reception from workers.
Here Baby unleashed an attack on the anti people policies of UPA and UDF Governments. When he emphasised too much on price rise, a woman worker Prassanna got up to remind him about the cooking gas prices which had badly affected each household.
“She is an apt candidate for Parliament. She is aware of the contemporary socio economic problems,’’ quipped Baby acknowledging Prassana’s concern even as the crowd erupted in laughter. Such responses from the audience energized Baby who covered nearly 20 factories, braving the sun.
Premachandran on the other hand covered most areas in an open jeep, often alighting at junctions and walking up to voters to seek their support. A large number of UDF workers, mainly Congressmen, accompanied him during the campaign though not many from his own party RSP were seen at these places.
UDF leaders justified the low turn-out of people in these areas which they claimed were bastions of the communist parties. With the mercury rising, the political climate too is hotting up in the constituency for a contest which is being termed as “mother of all battles.”
