Thiruvananthapuram: There are several ‘scapegoats’ like Congress leaders Satheeshan Pacheni, K. P. Anil Kumar, Lathika Subhash and Bindu Krishna and CPM's Cherian Philip, Sindhu Joy and Prof. Suja Susan George when it comes to elections in Kerala.
They know well that they will not win against their 'powerful' opponents, but being loyal workers of the party, they succumb to the pressure. But now a majority of these leaders are keen to see that they get a "sure winning" seat this time.
Mr Pacheni, a KPCC general secretary, had contested Assembly elections in 1996, 2001 and 2006 but lost all. He had also unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from Palakkad.
Currently, he is being considered for Irikkur and Kannur. Reports from New Delhi say this time he is most likely to get Irikkur where Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s trusted lieutenant K. C. Joseph has been representing seven times.
KPCC general secretary Anil Kumar was defeated in Koyilandy in 2011 Assembly elections where he is expected to contest again this time. Another general secretary Lathika Subhash was fielded against V. S. Achuthanandan in 2011.
She says what the party says to her is her ‘destiny’. “It was due to Congress party that I have reached where I am now. I was the first woman district panchayat president from Kottayam. It’s true that I was fielded against a powerful leader, but there has to be an opponent as well. So I abide by what my party asked me to do”, said Lathika Subhash.
A prominent Congress leader raised a serious allegation that there were several leaders who wanted to contest the elections just to hog the limelight and to pocket election funds. He added that there were several ‘desperate’ senior leaders who had earlier been MP or MLA trying to get ‘any seat’ where they are not bothered of winning the elections.
Prof. George, who had contested against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in Puthupally in 2011 Assembly elections, told DC that there should be candidates against stalwarts where it should be seen as a political fight. “It is not only winning, but candidates are also getting a chance to send out propaganda against several development activities which are in limbo in the constituency. Chandy has been representing Puthupally for the last 50 years, but in all the eight panchayats there, drinking water shortage is a big issue which has to be brought to the notice of the public,” said the Malayalam professor at St. Mary’s College, Mannarkkad, Kottayam.
KPCC spokesperson Rajmohan Unnithan put up a formidable fight against CPM politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at Thalassery where he lost by 10, 055 votes. Similarly, there are several strongholds of CPM in Kannur where booth agents of Congress do not even bother to work for fear of violence against them.
