Kochi: The Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency witnessed a surge in voting in tune with the trend in the rest of the state. The Congress-led UDF, CPM-led LDF and BJP-led NDA are keeping their fingers crossed on the outcome of the nearly two percentage increase in the voting in the constituency.
The poll managers of UDF candidate Hibi Eden remained supremely confident about the chances of their candidate even as the LDF camp is also equally buoyant on the prospects of P Rajeev, who made a mark as a member of Rajya Sabha. The LDF poll mangers credit the strenuous campaign by the LDF supporters in the constituency for the increase in the voting.
The NDA with the flamboyant Alphonse Kanna-mthanam as the candidate is equally boisterous about the chances of their candidate making gains. The NDA supporters mainly bank on the perceived anger by a section of voters against the way the state government had handled the Sabarimala issue.
The UDF poll mangers are confident that the seven assembly segments in the constituency that have stood with them in 2014 elections will repeat the same pattern.
The LDF on the other hand are hoping to make a breakthrough and gain majority in at least in three assembly segments to make a win possible. Apart from Vypeen, LDF hopes rest on Tripunithura, Kalamaserry and North Paravur assembly segments. The voting percentage in Ernakulam was 72.77 and 73.56 percent in 2009 and 2014 respectively. As per the latest information (at 8 PM) 75.61 percent voted in Ernakulam.
