AGgovernment rocked by corruption charges and a rudderless Opposition caught in the whirlwind of group war and one upmanship mark the political landscape of Kerala as the State is getting ready for the by-poll to be held at Puthuppally Assembly constituency.
Former chief minister Oommen Chandi who breathed his last in July 2023 had been representing the constituency continuously for the last 53 years. His son Chandy Oommen is the Congress candidate for the by poll to be held on September 5, while the CPIM has fielded Jake C Thomas, a former SFI leader. Though the BJP too has fielded a candidate the chances are that he may end up as an also ran contestant as pollsters are unanimous in their production that Chandy Oommen would have a cake walk over others.
Saturday was the 45th day of Oommen Chandy’s demise and if the crowd which had gathered for the special prayers held at Puthuppally is any indication, the victory of Congress candidate is a foregone conclusion. The CPI-M led Left Democratic Front has deployed its entire council of ministers and MLAs for house to house campaigning and family meetings. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has made it a prestige fight as the Congress has levelled serious corruption charges against him and his family members.
The Income Tax Interim Settlement Board’s findings that the Rs 1.72 crore received by Veena , daughter of the chief minister, from a mineral sand mining company as “monthly allowance” is enmeshed in mystery has added to the woes of Vijayan.
According to the Board, Veena has not provided any service to the sand mining company and hence there is no justification in her accepting the amount from the company. Last week saw A C Moideen CPI-M MLA and former minister of cooperation being raided by the Enforcement Directorate for financial embezzlement to the tune of Rs 125 crore from a cooperative bank in Thrissur. Moideen has been summoned by the ED to appear before its Kochi office for interrogation next week.
There is widespread resentment among the people against the government. Employees of the public sector undertakings and pensioners have not received their dues for many months.
The State Treasury is literally empty while KN Balagopalan, the finance minister has put the blame on the Centre’s doors. Though Onam, the State’s biggest festival falls on Tuesday, people are yet to get the free ration kits offered by the government.