Pathanamthitta: Sitting Congress MLA, Mr K Sivadasan Nair, does not regret backing the plan for an airport in Aranmula. “Aranmula needs an airport, right on the land already identified by experts”, says the 67-year-old Mr Nair, sticking to his strident stand, least bothered about its impact on his electoral prospects in Aranmula in his third bid for the Assembly.
He debuted in Pathanamthitta in 2006, though scraping through in a four-cornered contest. The fight is tough this time and the poll scene is as fragile as the marshes of Aranmula, unsuitable for safe landing. While Mr Nair banks on the constituency’s pro-UDF profile, comprising Syrian Christians of all hues, Nairs and backward Ezhava pockets, Ms Veena George, 39, the LDF candidate, feels the times have changed and the electorate prefers young blood.
She reiterates the LDF line, favouring an airport in Pathanamthitta but not on the controversial stretch, where greens activists had pitched protest tents. The ramrod straight BJP State general secretary M T Ramesh, 43, familiar to electors with his anti-airport campaign, thinks the airport is a luxury. He agrees with Ms George that voters hunger for a change but believes he fits the bill, being the representative of the charismatic Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi.
CPM counts on Ms George, who was formerly the executive editor of Reporter news channel, to ensure the support of the prominent Orthodox community in addition to the Left vote, placing her in a win-win situation. Already the Malankara Syrian Orthodox church supremo, Baselios Mar Thomas Poulose II, has commended her candidature.
Ms Veena holds that it is unfair to read too much into the extempore remark of the pontiff. She decried the efforts at religious stamping, bracketing her with the Orthodox Church. “This is a ploy by her rivals. The bishop was responding to questions by a TV reporter rather than endorsing a particular candidate”, says Ms George’s husband, Dr George Joseph, the Malankara Sabha secretary.
But she should be concerned about residual sentiments by seat-hopefuls in CPM, who may not like her getting settled in the constituency lest it should upset their long-term career growth.
Mr Nair too faces a piquant situation, with a sizeable section of DCC leaders publicly upset over his enduring candidature. In private, they attribute many things wrong with him but Mr Nair trusts his instincts and track record as a lawmaker. Last time, he polled 47.69 per cent as against 42.90 percent by his CPM rival.
The BJP polled only 7.52 percent but this time around, Mr Ramesh is sure to increase the vote share, aided by the NDA ally, the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena. He counts on 30,000 votes to start with, citing the BJP performance in the civic polls.
The victory or defeat would centre on the debate on the development initiatives of the past five years, how much Mr Nair had attempted and what credible alternatives the rivals have to offer.
