Malappuram: National leaders, including Central ministers, are set to campaign in the district in the coming days. Kottakkal, a traditional League bastion, will see many of them addressing public meetings and conventions.
Senior BJP leader and Union minister of urban development, Venkaiah Naidu, will address a public meeting at Changuvetty on Saturday for party candidate V. Unnikrishnan. BJP sources said national president Amit Shah may reach Kuttippuram on Tuesday for an NDA convention and they are awaiting confirmation.
NCP chief and former Union minister Sharad Pawar will be the centre of attraction at the LDF meeting on Thursday at Valanchery for his party's candidate in Kottakkal, N.A. Muhammed Kutty.
Union law minister and former Karnataka chief minister Sadananda Gowda will be the first BJP national leader to reach the district on the second phase campaign.
He will canvass voters in Vallikkunnu, Thavanur, Ponnani and Kondotty constituencies on Saturday and Tanur and Manjeri on Monday. BJP national spokesperson and its Muslim face Shanavas Hussain will address meetings at Vengara and Malappuram on Tuesday.
CPM politburo members Prakash Karat and Subhashini Ali and Jammu and Kashmir state secretary Yusuf Tarigami campaign for the LDF. Mr Karat will campaign in Ponnani, Thavanur and Tirur and Ms Ali in Malappuram and Perinthalmanna. Interestingly, national leaders of the Congress and Muslim League, including E Ahammed, are absent from the scene.
