Thiruvananthapuram: It is difficult to predict which way the wind is blowing in Attingal where the Congress has fielded Konni MLA Adoor Prakash to wrest the seat from A. Sampath of the LDF. The NDA’s Sobha Surendran is also putting up a good fight but it will be an uphill task for her to surprise her rivals.
This is Sampath’s fourth outing in Attingal and he is a familiar face in the constituency.
His late father, K. Anirudhan, had won from Chirayinkeezhu Lok Sabha seat way back in 1967. The Attingal constituency was formed in 2008 following the delimitation of constituencies. Earlier it was known as Chirayinkeezhu, which was a Left bastion.
Adoor Prakash, who hopes to topple Sampath citing anti-incumbency, is an outsider.
The NDA has never made a mark here. BJP state general secretary Sobha Surendran, who is a late entrant to Attingal, is also branded as an outsider.
The Congress held sway in Chirayinkeezhu in the 70s and 80s. Vayalar Ravi won in 1971 and 1977 and A. A. Rahim in 1980.
During 1984 and 1989, Thalekunnil Basheer won back-to-back. A. Sampath won in 1991 and 1996. Varkala Radhakrishnan completed a hatrick in 1998, 1999 and 2004.
Once the Attingal constituency came into being, Sampath won in 2009 and 2014.
The winners from Attingal have been either Muslims or Ezhavas. The Dalit community too has a strong presence.
The population consists of estate workers in the hilly regions, coir workers and fishermen in the coastal areas and working classes.
Sampath had initiated many development works in the constituency during his three tenures.
He brought in two railway platforms at Chirayinkeezhu railway station plus reservation counters, modernisation of Varkala railway station and a Passport Seva Kendra at Attingal. Sampath, Adoor Prakash and Sobha Surendran belong to the Ezhava community.
Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading.
