Campaigning for the May 28 Assembly by-election has peaked in Chengannur constituency in Kerala’s Alappuzha district as it entered its third and most crucial phase after filing of nominations came to a close on Thursday.
The constituency is witnessing a tough triangular poll battle and it is set to see intense electioneering for the next 16 days till the close of open campaigning on the evening of May 26 with State and national political leaders camping in the constituency to lead and coordinate the works for their respective nominees.
A total of 25 persons, including dummy candidates and two “namesakes”, had filed papers when the filing of nominations came to a close on Thursday evening. One nomination was rejected on Friday after scrutiny. The last day for withdrawal of nominations is Monday. Counting of votes will take place on May 31.
The office of the returning officer, Revenue Divisional Officer MV Suresh Kumar, in Chengannur witnessed some dramatic developments on Friday with the Congress-led UDF and BJP-led NDA alleging irregularities in the nomination of the lDF candidate. They said the lDF nominee had not provided financial details.
After arguments and counter-arguments lasting over 90 minutes, the returning officer accepted the nomination by citing Supreme Court orders but the UDF and NDA said they would approach the Central Election Commission. The lDF candidate had also faced the charge of breaching poll code by being accompanied by a large number of people at the time of filing his papers.
A top BJP leader said his party’s national leaders would start visiting Chengannur from the start of next week. “Most of our national leaders have so far been busy with electioneering in Karnataka. With the polling happening there on Saturday, they will now be focusing on the bypoll which for us is very important,” he said.
Chengannur has seen one of the longest campaign periods ever in Kerala. Campaigning for the bypoll, necessitated by the death of sitting CPI(M) member KK Ramachandran Nair on January 14, had started in February itself and the major fronts had selected their candidates by March though the Election Commission had announced the poll schedule only last month-end.
Determined to retain the seat, the lDF has fielded as its candidate the CPI(M)’s Alappuzha district secretary, Saji Cherian, an influential Christian in the constituency where 20 the community constitutes 20 percent of the electorate. Cherian has already completed several rounds of visits in the constituency.
The Congress-led Opposition UDF, which had won the seat in all the five elections from 1991 to 2011, has fielded senior leader D Vijayakumar, a secretary of the State Congress, as its candidate.