NSS to be equidistant' in Chengannur bypoll

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The picture is getting clearer in Chengannur by-election with NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair maintaining that they always were "equidistant" to all the political fronts.  UDF and LDF camps were hoping that Nair votes to come their way.  KC (M) votes are expected to split between K. M. Mani and P. J. Joseph factions.  The decision on BDJS by SNDP Yogam Vellapally Natesan will be announced only on Wednesday giving the BJP anxiety attacks. Initially, the Congress camp was worried about the strides the CPM and BJP candidates were making.  But the KPCC leadership is not worried about which way the NSS and KC (M) votes would move. 

The campaign was initially sluggish for the Congress candidate, D. Vijayakumar, as there were complaints that their presence in several booths was miserable.  A KPCC general secretary camping there for more than two weeks now slammed AICC secretary P. C. Vishnunath who represented the constituency twice. “No wonder, CPM’s K. K. Ramach-andran Nair defeated him," he told DC.  “If a leader of his stature had distanced himself from voters, who will vote for him? In Pandanad panchayath, a booth committee president stepped down in protest a few days ago citing Congress’s inefficiency. He came out with a notice highlighting the wrong party moves here.”

Sensing trouble the Congress leadership sorted out issues at the grassroots and exuded the confidence of winning by close to 10, 000 votes.   They hope apart from the individual votes favouring Mr Vijayakumar traditional UDF votes would help him to romp home.  “We are confident of getting more than 50 percent of the Nair votes," DCC president M. Liju told DC.  “At the same time, a major chunk of the KC (M) votes would also be cast in favour of the Congress. Vellapally has always been favouring CPM’s Saji Cherian. His latest statement on CPM favouring upper castes is nothing but to create confusion among voters.”