Thiruvananthapuram: K. Muraleedharan did not want to take a chance and come back to the city to cast his vote. He remained in Vadakara where he's engaged in a fierce fight with CPM strongman P. Jayarajan.
He wanted to ensure every vote, not only belonging to the Congress and traditional ally IUML, but newfound supporters like RMP and Welfare Party of India falls in his kitty.
KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran who vacated Vadakara after two consecutive wins for Mr Muraleedharan was in overall charge of his campaign.
With the support of the RMP led by K. K. Rema, things were easy for him. On polling day, women belonging to the minority communities turned up in large numbers in the first hours of the polling which was a surprising element for the UDF. Mr Muraleedharan said workers belonging to the WPI played a crucial role in ensuring minority votes with door-to-door campaigning against the CPM's murder politics."There were rampant fake votes across the constituency. Muslim women in large numbers thronged polling stations of Vadakara, Perambra, Quilandy and Kuttiadi assembly segments. We believe we have also got the votes of CPM workers fed up with Mr Jayarajan's murder politics," he told DC.He expects to win by more than 25,000 votes.
Mr Ramachandran said bogus voters were galore in Taliparamba in Kannur constituency and Koothuparamba assembly segment in Vadakara.
He vouches for Mr Muraleedharan's "excellent fight".
The CPM rubbishes their claims.
Its Kozhikode district secretary P. Mohanan said they could not afford to lose the Vadakara this time and party cadres were in the arena even before the party finalised the candidate.
"Politics of 2009 and 2014 are no longer seen in 2019," he told DC. "Mr Muraleedharan is taking anticipatory bail as he fears a debacle."
