Chengannur bypoll: Guessing game on among fronts

ALAPPUZHA: The increase in the  voting percentage in Chengannur from 74.36 percent in 2016 to 76.26 now has prompted  the political  fronts to engage in a guessing game. The candidates of major fronts, D. Vijayakumar (UDF), Saji Cheriyan (UDF) and P.S. Sreedharan Pillai (NDA) are hopeful of a good show due to the increased voting  figures.  LDF candidate K.K. Ramachandran Nair had won in   2016  when 1,45,363 votes were polled out of 1,95,493,(74.36 percent)r.  This was because  there was tough competition between UDF candidate P.C. Vishnunath and NDA candidate P.S. Sreedharan Pillai.

While UDF tumbled to 44,897 (30.89 percent) from 65,156 (51.98 percent) in 2011, NDA made a quantum leap from 6,062 (4.84 percent) in 2011 to 42,682 (29.36percent) in 2016. K.Soman, president, BJP district committee, claims the increased percentage would favour it and  “we will get 60,000 votes,” he said. The LDF camp is expecting 70,000 votes. “Our target was 70,000 votes. Now we are  confident of getting it,” said R. Nazer, acting secretary,  CPM district committee.

When asked about the unchanging figures of LDF  in the  last two elections, he said that there was triangular contest last time.   “This time there is no triangular contest,” he said.  Meanwhile, the UDF hopes  that they would win.   M.Liju,  DCC president, said that UDF will wrest the seat  with a  margin of at least 5000 votes.

Cable TV networks disrupted

The Chengannur voters were deprived of  the  telecast by TV  channels soon after the news broke  that  the body of Kevin, who was abducted on Sunday by a quotation gang following his marriage with his lover, was found in a river at  Thenmala in Kollam.  The UDF and the BJP alleged that LDF workers had cut off the cables after the Opposition took up Kevin’s case and blamed the chief minister for the police inaction. The Opposition hoped that the event  will   influence the voting. However, the LDF said the rain must have affected the network. 

According to the operators, there was no glitch despite heavy rain till 12 noon. By that  time, all news channels were covering the polling.  However,  when  the mainstream news channels focused on Kevin’s murder, the functioning of the network was disrupted.  The optical fibre cables were snapped at  many places,  including Chengannur municipality, Bethel junction, Pandanad, Mundankav and Mulakkuzha. The cable was found cut at  Mandankav and Kallissery in the municipality. The relay was also disrupted at some other places after  power connection was  disconnected from power boosting points. The optical fibre cable of Asianet Cable Vision was cut at  two places. The services of some of local cable TV operators were also disrupted at  many place.