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Kerala by-poll: Alliances change by the day
Alliances are changing by the day in Kerala’s Neyyattinkara Assembly constituency where a crucial by-poll is to be held on June 2. Just the other day, the Congress-led ruling UDF got a big relief with the VSDP, outfit of the Nadar community forming almost half the total electorate in the constituency, deciding to drop its anti-UDF stance.
VSDP general secretary Vishnupuram Chandrasekharan said on Saturday that his outfit had withdrawn its earlier decision to oppose the UDF and to stage protests during visits by VIPs including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the context of the assurances given by State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala at a meeting.
“We are keeping in mind their (VSDP’s) justifiable demands which they have put across to us. We have requested their support in the by-election,” said Chennithala after a meeting with Chandrasekharan and others. Chandrasekharan had been, till Saturday morning, saying that VSDP was powerful enough to defeat the candidate of the UDF but he changed the stand later.
The Nadar outfit had offered solid support to Marxist renegade R Selvaraj, himself a Nadar, when he resigned as Neyyattinkara MLA and from the CPI(M) on March 9 necessitating the by-poll thereIt changed its stand after the UDF picked Selvaraj as its candidate for the by-election in the seat.
However, the CPI(M), which has made “betrayal by Selvaraj of the party and the electorate” the main plank of the by-poll campaign, says that the VSDP’s offer of support to the UDF would not harm the prospects of LDF candidate F Lawrence, also from the Nadar community. It says that its support base among the Nadar community is rock-solid as proved in the 2011 election.
The BJP, which has fielded senior leader and former Union minister O Rajagopal as its candidate, feels that the Congress’s over-dependence on the VSDP and the Nadar vote-bank has already created a consolidation among the major Hindu communities like the Nairs and the Ezhavas in its favour.
However, the Congress and the UDF are feeling relieved after winning back the support of the VSDP. Nadars number over 70,000 in Neyyattinkara where the total number of voters is above 150,000. “It has indeed been a relief. But Chandy and Chennithala are taking a big risk. I don’t know how they are going to give a Cabinet berth to the Nadars,” said a Congress leader.
But confusing the Congress further, Vishnupuram Chandrasekharan said on Sunday evening that the VSDP had not decided to support the UDF in the by-election but the decision was only to withdraw the opposition to it. He said that the stand of the outfit on the by-election would be declared on May 27.
The biggest worry for the Congress in Neyyattinkara is the possibility of cross-voting since the traditional Congress workers and leaders in the constituency are yet to approve Selvaraj’s candidature. Also, supporters of leaders like Congress veteran Thampanoor Ravi, who had represented Neyyattinkara in the Assembly three times, are openly airing their protests.
A Congress leader said that the next attempt would be to win the confidence of the NSS, outfit of the Hindu upper caste Nairs, which has taken a vehement anti-UDF stand after the allotment of a fifth Cabinet berth to the Muslim League, an act that had disrupted the communities balance in the 21-member Chandy Ministry.
Alliances are changing by the day in Kerala’s Neyyattinkara Assembly constituency where a crucial by-poll is to be held on June 2. Just the other day, the Congress-led ruling UDF got a big relief with the VSDP, outfit of the Nadar community forming almost half the total electorate in the constituency, deciding to drop its anti-UDF stance.
VSDP general secretary Vishnupuram Chandrasekharan said on Saturday that his outfit had withdrawn its earlier decision to oppose the UDF and to stage protests during visits by VIPs including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the context of the assurances given by State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala at a meeting.
“We are keeping in mind their (VSDP’s) justifiable demands which they have put across to us. We have requested their support in the by-election,” said Chennithala after a meeting with Chandrasekharan and others. Chandrasekharan had been, till Saturday morning, saying that VSDP was powerful enough to defeat the candidate of the UDF but he changed the stand later.
The Nadar outfit had offered solid support to Marxist renegade R Selvaraj, himself a Nadar, when he resigned as Neyyattinkara MLA and from the CPI(M) on March 9 necessitating the by-poll thereIt changed its stand after the UDF picked Selvaraj as its candidate for the by-election in the seat.
However, the CPI(M), which has made “betrayal by Selvaraj of the party and the electorate” the main plank of the by-poll campaign, says that the VSDP’s offer of support to the UDF would not harm the prospects of LDF candidate F Lawrence, also from the Nadar community. It says that its support base among the Nadar community is rock-solid as proved in the 2011 election.
The BJP, which has fielded senior leader and former Union minister O Rajagopal as its candidate, feels that the Congress’s over-dependence on the VSDP and the Nadar vote-bank has already created a consolidation among the major Hindu communities like the Nairs and the Ezhavas in its favour.
However, the Congress and the UDF are feeling relieved after winning back the support of the VSDP. Nadars number over 70,000 in Neyyattinkara where the total number of voters is above 150,000. “It has indeed been a relief. But Chandy and Chennithala are taking a big risk. I don’t know how they are going to give a Cabinet berth to the Nadars,” said a Congress leader.
But confusing the Congress further, Vishnupuram Chandrasekharan said on Sunday evening that the VSDP had not decided to support the UDF in the by-election but the decision was only to withdraw the opposition to it. He said that the stand of the outfit on the by-election would be declared on May 27.
The biggest worry for the Congress in Neyyattinkara is the possibility of cross-voting since the traditional Congress workers and leaders in the constituency are yet to approve Selvaraj’s candidature. Also, supporters of leaders like Congress veteran Thampanoor Ravi, who had represented Neyyattinkara in the Assembly three times, are openly airing their protests.
A Congress leader said that the next attempt would be to win the confidence of the NSS, outfit of the Hindu upper caste Nairs, which has taken a vehement anti-UDF stand after the allotment of a fifth Cabinet berth to the Muslim League, an act that had disrupted the communities balance in the 21-member Chandy Ministry.
