KOCHI: Piravom assembly constituency, including the newly formed Piravom municipality and nearby panchayats, traditionally a UDF bastion is witnessing a fiery battle this time. For Kerala Congress (J) candidate Anoop Jacob, who entered electoral politics in 2012 when his father, former minister and veteran UDF leader T.M Jacob died, retaining the seat is crucial. Anoop has taken over the portfolio of Food and Civil Supplies which was handled by his father in the Oomen Chandy ministry.
In the prestigious fight, the LDF has fielded a popular leader M.J Jacob, former MLA and panchayat president, to wrest the seat. M.J Jacob contested against T.M Jacob in 2011 when the UDF’s winning margin was just 157 votes. It was one of the fierce fights witnessed by the voters in Piravom.
However, during the bypoll held in 2012 after the demise of T.M Jacob, Anoop defeated M.J Jacob with a thumping majority of 12,070 votes. BJP candidate K.R. Rajagopal ended up a distant third with 3241 votes. The sympathy wave significantly helped Anoop, a newcomer, to get a glorious victory, it was observed.
The LDF could send their candidates from Piravom to the Assembly only two times, in 1987 and 2006 through the victory of Gopi Kottamurickal and M.J Jacob. Other than T. M Jacob, other UDF candidates like Benny Behanan in 1982 and P.C Chacko in 1980 also have won the seat.
Both the fronts have entered the active phase of campaigning with corner meetings, family meetings, posters and publicity materials. Chief minister Oomen Chandy attended the UDF convention in Piravom on Friday.
