JOIN USKerala elections: BJP shows strength in Manjeshwar but worries about minority consolidation
The BJP seems to be making its presence felt more than that of opposite camps in the Assembly election campaign at Manjeshwar at Kasargod in Kerala, the saffron party is concerned about minority consolidation in the constituency that shares borders with Karnataka.
Being a constituency with a sizable Kannadiga population, all candidates are prominently using the Kannada language for the campaigns. But the issues of the linguistic minorities could not be heard projected by any parties.
The BJP is showing its strength in the constituency with huge participation of party workers, including women, in the election rallies and campaign meetings. Party state president K Surendran, who lost by just 89 votes in 2016, is contesting from the constituency with high hopes of a victory. The BJP is accusing the Congress-led UDF and CPM-led Left Democratic Front for the lack of development in the constituency apart from triggering the Sabarimala women entry issue
While the CPM candidates V V Rameshan is highlighting Pinarayi Vijayan government’s welfare measures like free ration supply, Indian Union Muslim Leagues A K M Ashraf, who is the UDF candidate alleges of lack of development in the constituency over the last five years of LDF rule.
Closure of border roads by the BJP government at the centre is being used both by the LDF and UDF against the BJP, the BJP is hitting back with lack of development in Kasargod and interventions of BJP local leaders to resolve the border restriction issues. The border issue is still remaining relevant as Karnataka has imposed fresh restrictions on entry from Kerala. The travel restriction was mainly affecting the scores of patients depending on hospitals in Mangaluru for routine treatment.
Dr. Y S Mohankummar, a Kannadiga in Kasargod, said that the Kannadigas in Kasargod were not able to meet their immediate relatives across the border owing to the restrictions in the border.
A rally organised by the BJP as part of the filing of nomination by Surendran on Friday turned out to be a show of strength of the saffron party. BJP local leader Harish Chandra Manjeshwar said that right from the initial days of the campaign the party was receiving good acceptance from the people and hence the victory of Surendran was quite certain.
However, sources in the party said that the chances of a minority vote consolidation in favour of the IUML candidate to prevent the victory of the saffron party could not be ruled out. The party is not able to make inroads into the Muslim community voters who constitute a major chunk of the voters. The Indian National League, which is a coalition partner of the LDF, may favour the IUML to prevent BJP’s victory. Such a trend was suspected in the previous elections also. In 2016, Surendran gained high votes as there were a split in the minority community votes.
While Surendran got 56,781 and lost to IUML by 89 votes in 2016, Raveesha Thantri who contested as BJP candidate in 2019 by-polls at Manjeshwar got 57,484 but lost to IUML by 7,923. This was mainly due to a drop in the votes polled by the LDF.
While the cheating cases against sitting MLA M C Kamaruddin of IUML is also casting shadow over the prospects of the present IUML candidate also, BJP camps are concerned whether Surendran’s decision to contest from Konni in Pathanamthitta district, apart from Manjeshwar may cast a shadow over his victory chances.