Thiruvananthapuram: The political leaders are keeping their fingers crossed on the impact of the major issues they have highlighted during the campaign, including Sabarimala and political murders. The Congress hopes that Sabarimala will influence the voters only in Pathanamthitta and that political violence will be uppermost in the minds of the voters in the rest of the constituencies which will turn to its advantage.
The Congress wants to ensure that it gets the maximum number of seats from Kerala which will be crucial in forming a non-BJP government at the centre. Senior leader A.K. Antony, who took out a 13-day road show, wanted that the NDA should not get a single seat from Kerala. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala has also promised Congress president Rahul Gandhi to send the maximum number of UDF MPs to Parliament.
All the three political fronts had been utilising the Sabarimala issue to gain votes. KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran told DC that in Pathanamthitta, women have taken Sabarimala as a burning religious issue. In other constituencies, it was not widely discussed. In the southern districts, caste and religion play a crucial role, but in the northern districts, there is real political fight, he said.
Former KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran said Sabarimala and murder politics have been widely discussed. “The BJP stands exposed on the matter,” said Mr Sudheeran who has toured all the constituencies in the state over the last several weeks.
“While in power the BJP government did not issue an ordinance, but now they are hoodwinking the people. Even many CPM workers in several districts said that they will not vote for the LDF citing that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not properly handle the Sabarimala issue,” he said.
Mr Antony kicked off his road show from the houses of slain Youth Congress workers Kripesh and Sarath Lal. Rahul Gandhi also visited their houses and opposed the politics of violence in the state.
