Not many had taken then SFI leader Sindhu Joy seriously when she was fielded as the CPI(M)’s candidate for the lDF in Ernakulam in the 2009 lok Sabha polls against three time-winner KV Thomas of the Congress. But as the votes were being counted, Thomas seemed to be losing the battle till the last stages. In the end, he just managed to win by a margin of 11,790 votes.
But that does not seem to be the case this time as the Union Minister is seeking a fifth term in the lok Sabha from Ernakulam in this election despite the fact that the battle is a lot tougher than that of 2009. Thomas, for the moment, seems to be going strong, may be because of the alleged minor error in the selection by the CPI(M) of the lDF candidate.
But the Marxist poll strategists and leaders would not agree with that assumption. They say their Independent candidate Christy Fernandez, former IAS man, is a widely respected figure in Ernakulam constituency which includes Kochi, the most happening city of the South and Kerala’s commercial Capital.
“There is nothing wrong in the selection. When Prof Joseph Mundassery and Justice VR Krishna Iyer were fielded as Independent candidates by the left back in 1957, they were not great men. They became great by the work they did as ministers in our Government. likewise, our Independents this time are also people of greatness,” says Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan.
But Thomas’s UDF camp is confident of victory though the experience in the last election was a bit bewildering. “In the first place, this is his home turf. Secondly, his performance as MP and Minister has been laudable. Thirdly, even Marxist leaders are asking who this Christy Fernandez is. So why should we worryIJ” asks a UDF campaign manager.
Poll analysts, however, point out that Kochi, being a modern commercial city, is a place where Thomas will have to worry about the allegedly bad performance of the UPA Government. Again, there are other strong candidates who can eat into Thomas’s bank of votes, especially in the urban sectors, they say.
One such candidate is BJP’s AN Radhakrishnan, a face known well to almost every voter in the Ernakulam constituency because of his tireless work. Radhakrishnan is contesting in Ernakulam for the second time.
The AAP has fielded perhaps its brightest star in entire Kerala in Ernakulam - celebrated journalist Anita Pratap — who has not taken a moment of rest since she was chosen. Her herd of ‘Aam Aadmis’ reaches the most undeveloped corners.