Suresh Gopi puts up a fierce challenge

Thrissur: NDA candidate Suresh Gopi is giving both the LDF's Rajaji Mathew Thomas and UDF's T.N. Prathapan a run for their money here, going by his high-voltage campaigning.

CPI had announced its candidate almost two months ago, and Mr Prathapan of Congress started his campaigning nearly a month later.

However, the sudden entry of the film star-turned-politician after BDJS candidate Thushar Vellappally moved to take on Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad came as a surprise for both and undoubtedly it made the contest triangular if the crowd he draws is any indicator.

“Mr Prathapan is a three-time MLA who comes from a humble fisher family and has come up in the party after starting as a KSU activist. He has also worked as an employee in the co-operative sector. We are banking on his connect with the people in all strata of the society, and there is nothing like a Modi wave in the country as in 2014. So, we are very hopeful of an emphatic victory here this time around,” veteran Congress leader and former assembly speaker Therambil Ramakrishnan said.

CPI district secretary K. K. Valsaraj said Mr Mathew had already done several rounds of campaigning as compared to his rivals.

He has been editing his party's mouthpiece Janayugam and speaks English and Hindi, which is necessary to be successful in Delhi, where he had a long stint. He also rose from ranks.

“He had served as the vice-president of World Youth Federation and had legislative experience as an MLA from Ollur here 2006-11,” he said.

Both Mr Therambil and Mr Valsaraj said that though Suresh Gopi had created some ripples in the campaigning as he was a superstar, that necessarily could not translate into votes. BJP district president A. Nagesh asks them to wait until May 23, the counting day.