Alappuzha: Aroor has always been leaning towards the Left. Right from 1965, the constituency of primarily coir workers and small-scale traders stood firmly by K.R. Gouri in nine elections: seven times as a Left candidate and twice after she left the CPI (M), floated Janathipathya Samrakshana Samithi (JSS) and joined the UDF.
It was A.M. Arif of the CPI (M) who ended her reign in 2006. He retained the constituency in 2011 by defeating A.A. Shukkoor of the Congress party by a margin of 16852 votes. So it’s time for Mr Arif to score a hat-trick. KPCC general secretary C.R. Jayaprakash, who is trying his luck as UDF candidate, had never won an election and was defeated in Kayamkulam in 2006.
However, this time, he hopes the anti-incumbency factor to play against Mr Arif.
BDJS's T. Aniyappan, a chartered accountant, fielded by NDA, is eying the majority Hindu votes. In 2011, the BJP candidate had received 7,486 votes, and the new combination could be a matter of worry for both fronts. In the 2014 parliamentary election, UDF candidate K.C. Venugopal had cornered 963 votes more than the LDF in this segment, though the NDA candidate's vote share dwindled to 6907.
Aroor consists of Arookutty, Aroor, Chennam-Pallippuram, Ezhupunna, Kodamthuruth, Kuthiathode, Panavally, Perumbalam, Thycattussery and Thuravoor constituencies. As a constituency close to Kochi, its development prospects have become the main agenda of the prominent three.
