Kannur: As the political campaign for Lok Sabha elections enters its second phase here, realizing the challenge CPM has fine-tuned its campaign machinery to resist the ‘do or die’ blitzkrieg of K. Sudhakaran, who had tasted defeat against P.K. Sreemathy in 2014.
Political observers feel that last time K Sudhak-aran himself was a confused contestant whereas this time he is determined to win. More over the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency is not at all a CPM citadel, it was pointed out. On the other hand CPM cannot even think of losing ‘Kannur’, known to the outer world as the party citadel though it isn’t one.
In his second innings K. Sudhakaran is focusing more at the legislative constituencies of high-ranges like Irikkoor, Iritty, Azheekkode and Peravoor. Congress MLA from Peravoor Sunny Joseph told DC that this time Sudhakaran will win. It was carelessness that led to the defeat by a thin margin last time, he said, adding that the two namesakes of Mr Sudhakaran had bagged more than 7000 votes while Sudhakaran himself lost the battle by just 6566 votes.
Meanwhile CPM has deputed its best leaders in charge of coordinating election campaign in all pro-UDF constituencies. P.K. Sreemathy is in full confidence. “People of the constituency now knows who will serve them better”, she told reporters here. “During the tenure I have done maximum to help the people which I hope, will translate into votes and my victory’, she added.
Master CPM strategists M.V. Jayarajan and K.K. Ragesh are monitoring the movement of party mechanism here. In 2014 Sreemathy got 4,27,622 votes against Sudhaka-ran (4,21,056) while P.C. Mohanan of BJP bagged 51,636 votes. In 2009 K Sudhakaran won with 4,32,878 votes against K.K. Ragesh of CPM who got 3,89,727 votes.
