Can Anil Antony pull off the 'impossible' in Pathanamthitta?

Pathanamthitta: A couple could be seen eagerly watching BJP candidate Anil K Antony passing in an open vehicle through Kaipatoor in Pathanamthitta seeking votes on Sunday afternoon. Many bus passengers could be seen waving hands at the junior Antony clad in a maroon kurta.

But all these responses need not necessarily convert into votes as the couple's eagerness was not over the junior Antony's politics, but over the celebrity status, he enjoys owing to lineage with A K Antony - a three-time chief minister of Kerala, the longest serving defence minister of the country and one of the senior most Congress leaders with a clean image.

But many in Pathanamthitta say that Anil must not be underestimated as he could woo the youth who look forward to development and also take advantage of the adverse factors against his rivals - three-time sitting MP Anto Antony of the Congress and former finance minister Thomas Isaac of the CPM.

Anto is facing criticisms of not doing anything concrete for the constituency. His vote share was also witnessing a declining trend, 51 per cent in 2009, 41 per cent in 2014 and 37 per cent in 2019.

Anti-incumbency against the left-front government in Kerala and ED actions in connection with allegations over Masala bond are adverse factors for Isaac. A lack of effective actions against man-animal conflicts could also prove costly for the left as the district often suffers from it.

BJP's vote share in Pathanamthitta almost doubled to 29 per cent in 2019 due to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple women entry issue. Moreover, BJP state president K Surendran, who actively took part in the Sabarimala stir, was BJP candidate in 2019 from Pathanamthitta.

Even as the allegations that Anil took a bribe from a mediator for the appointment of CBI standing counsel using A K Antony's clout may not gain steam, Anil's recent critical remarks that many Congress leaders like his 84-year-old father were outdated and were like dogs who bark at moon has not gone down well with the masses. Even many in the BJP are unhappy about the remarks.

BJP is making all-out efforts to woo the considerable Christian votes of Pathanamthitta.

CPM too hopes to get into the Christian vote banks this time as Kerala Congress (M) headed by Jose K Mani, which has considerable influence among the Christians, is now a coalition partner of the CPM. Issac is also assuring to replicate the people's plan model of development by involving local body members in Pathanamthitta.