Campaigning ends in Kerala, Assam, Puducherry
Political parties on Tuesday made a last-ditch effort to woo voters on the last day of poll campaigning in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry. The three States go to polls on Thursday.
Campaigning for the Koridang (ST) Assembly by-election in Nagaland also ended on Tuesday amidst a tense poll environment following reports of violence over the past 48 hours. Officials said at least one person died, several injured, multiple vehicles damaged, and 16 people were detained in connection with election-related violence on Sunday and Monday. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of BJP’s Imkong L Imchen, a five-time MLA, on November 11 at the age of 75.
The high-voltage campaign, fraught with accusations and promises galore, for the elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly saw BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah accusing Congress of encouraging infiltrators to settle down in Assam’s land to create a vote bank, and failing to control insurgency and usher in development and employment during its rule. PM Modi came twice to the State to address five poll rallies.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma upped the ante by directly attacking Bengali-speaking Muslims of immigrant origin, derogatorily called the ‘Miyas’, claiming that during the last five years, “he has broken their arms and legs” and in the next five “he will break their backbones”.
The opposition Congress and its alliance partners have accused the BJP of practising the ‘politics of hate’, indulging in widespread corruption, particularly by the CM and his family members, lopsided development, and not being serious about ensuring justice to popular singer Zubeen Garg, who died in Singapore on September 19 last year.
CM chief minister accused state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and his wife of having links with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI. On the other hand, the opposition party charged Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma with owning multiple passports, properties in Dubai and assets in shell companies, which her husband did not mention in his poll affidavit.
In a final show of strength as campaign ended in Kerala, workers from all parties converged at designated centres. The contest is mainly among three fronts in the polls — the CPI(M)-led LDF, the Congress-led UDF and the BJP-led NDA. During the nearly month-long campaign, top leaders flew in repeatedly from New Delhi — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the NDA, alongside Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the UDF — while Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led from the front for the ruling LDF.
Congress tried to build a narrative of an alleged understanding between the BJP and the CPI(M), while also accusing the LDF of having links with the SDPI. It raised issues of corruption and governance against the state Government.
The BJP, on its part, focused on attacking both the LDF and the UDF. It argued that Kerala had not seen meaningful development under either front and presented itself as an alternative. PM Modi and other central leaders campaigned extensively, especially after the party’s improved performance in recent local body elections, including winning the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
Several key issues dominated the campaign. The Sabarimala temple row returned to the spotlight after the Supreme Court sought the state’s stand on women’s entry.
Campaigning for the April 9 elections to the Assembly of the Puducherry Union territory ended as political parties, independent candidates and rebel candidates of political parties were in a last-ditch attempt to impress voters. Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions of the Union Territory (UT) together have thirty seats in the Assembly. A total of 294 candidates are in the fray. The upcoming poll is a prestige fight for the NDA and INDIA bloc.
