Kochi: K Babu, excise and fisheries minister in the Oommen Chandy cabinet, has celebrated the silver jubilee of winning elections from the Tripunithura assembly constituency in 2011 by defeating his nearest CPM rival C.M. Dinesh Mani with a comfortable margin of over 15,000 votes. Mr Babu, a novice in electoral politics at the assembly level sprang a surprise in 1991 by defeating CPM strongman M.M. Lawrence from Tripunithura. That the CPM has been making every attempt to dislodge Mr Babu from Tripunithura, the abode of erstwhile kings of Kochi, for the past five assembly elections without success shows that the man from Angamaly has endeared himself well in the constituency. The question whether Mr Babu can repeat the magic for the sixth time in succession will make the contest in Tripunithura one of the most keenly watched electoral battles across the state in the ensuing assembly election.
The task will not be easy for Mr Babu this time around as the CPM has decided to field P Rajeev, the Ernakulam district secretary of the party with the single objective of wresting back the constituency from the Congress. Mr Rajeev, one of the few district secretaries of the CPM allowed by the party to be in the fray shows that the CPM leadership has taken the contest in Tripunithura as a matter of prestige. The CPM and the LDF will anchor their campaign mainly on the excellent track record of Mr Rajeev as a member of the Rajya Sabha. The CPM also hopes to cash in on the role Mr Rajeev played for promoting mega venture like Kochi Metro Rail and other major projects in the city.
The allegations of corruption will be major point of campaign against the excise and fisheries minister. This will be the first time that Mr Babu will be facing the elections with a negative image during his long stint in Tripunithura. He may have to muster all the skill and ability he showed in blunting the allegations by bar owners to score a record sixth win. The votes polled by the BJP in Tripunithura municipality will also be matter worrying Mr Babu.
