The Hindu 12.10.2010
Fronts equally poised in Kollam Corporation
Ignatius Pereira
KOLLAM: With the political climate and the electoral landscape of Kollam city remaining hazy, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) are getting ready for a tough fight to gain control of the City Corporation with development as their main campaign plank.
On their part, the voters are keen that the incoming ruling team should have the experience to deliver the goods. Their contention is that even now Kollam city is not much different from what it was 25 to 30 years ago and that many of the so-called development projects commissioned over the years have not benefited the people to the expected levels.
There is also much resentment among the voters over the demolition of the Chinnakada bus stand almost two years ago for facilitating the construction of an underpass, which is yet to materialise.
Given this mood of the people, the UDF camp feels that they are in many ways better positioned to make gains in the elections, especially because the LDF had been ruling the Kollam municipality and later the Corporation for the past 15 years. But the LDF camp is also confident since during the past 10 years, several development projects to change the face of the city had been initiated, some of which have been commissioned and others are progressing well.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also in the fray in real earnest with the hope of opening its account in the Kollam Corporation. While the party is aware that the time has not arrived to win the Corporation, thrust is being given to a couple of divisions, one being Thirumullavaram where the nomination papers of the UDF candidate had got rejected.
Candidates have started crisscrossing their respective divisions and posters and graffiti have come up at all vantage points.
Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac are expected to add zest to the LDF campaign in the coming few days, while KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala has addressed a UDF election convention here.
The Corporation has 55 divisions this time (three more than last time). The Mayor’s post and 28 divisions have been reserved for women, 26 of them in the general category and two for women from the Scheduled Castes. The city has 2,22,936 voters — 1,07,091 men and 1,15,845 women.
From the LDF camp, the CPI(M) is contesting in 30 divisions, the CPI in 14, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) in nine and the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Nationalist Congress Party in one division each.
From the UDF camp, the Congress is contesting in 41 divisions, the Muslim League in five, the RSP(B) in three, the Communist Marxist Party in two and the Kerala Congress(M), the Kerala Congress(B), the Janadipathya Samrakshana Samithi and the Socialist Janata (Democratic) in one each.
The BJP is contesting in 27 divisions. Including independents, there are 276 candidates in the fray.
