THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the state reeling under severe heat wave conditions and Palakkad being one of the hottest places in the state, Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan is exploring the possibility of using a caravan or a modified vehicle to campaign in the forthcoming Assembly polls.
Sources close to the opposition leader said he was thinking of using a “caravan’’ only because of the advise given by his doctors. They don’t want the 93-year-old star campaigner of LDF to be exposed to extreme heat wave conditions as it would cause severe dehydration and medical problems.
As the party is have the veteran campaigning in at least 100 of the 140 constituencies, extra precaution would be taken about his health. Since the demands for campaigning is coming in from almost all constituencies, it is going to be a tough schedule for the veteran.
Sources said fearing criticism from adversaries, instead of going for a luxurious caravan, the veteran leader would try and keep the modified vehicle very simple with minimum facilities. But the vehicle is unlikely to be used for the first phase of campaign.
Achuthanandan will launch the first phase of his electioneering by addressing two assembly constituency public meetings in Alappuzha district on April 3. The veteran leader will inaugurate the first assembly segment convention in Alappuzha, the constituency of former Finance Minister Dr T M Thomas Isaac.
He will address the second convention in Aroor at 6 pm in support of A M Arif. From Alappuzha he will head straight to his constituency Malampuzha for the convention on April 5. On the same day he will inaugurate a convention in support of N Krishnadas in Palakkad.
Achuthanandan will return to Thiruvananthapuram for two days before returning to Palakkad for the second leg of campaign. This time he will spend three days in the constituency addressing the conventions in eight panchayats on April 8, 9 and 10. His campaign programme for rest of the constituencies would be decided after LDF declares its final list of candidates.
