Stage set for intense election battle in Pathanapuram

PATHANAPURAM: Unlike previously, Pathanapuram would see a fight for the ages this time. Minister and Kerala Congress (B) chairman K.B. Ganesh Kumar is the LDF candidate. KPCC general secretary Jyothikumar Chamakkala is the UDF candidate. T20 leader and former Air Force officer Anil Pillai is the NDA candidate. The supporters are heating the competition, firing accusations and counter-accusations.

Ganesh Kumar and Jyothikumar Chamakkala had been engaged in a war of words since the local body elections. Many old controversies resurfaced. The UDF recently used the family allegations levelled against Ganesh Kumar as a political weapon. Ganesh Kumar defended himself by highlighting the infighting in the Congress and his popular image in the constituency. In the meantime, Anil Pillai attacked both fronts.

For a quarter of a century, the people of Pathanapuram have been cheering for KB Ganesh Kumar. Since 2001, Ganesh Kumar won thrice in UDF colours, and the last two times as an LDF candidate. Even after losing by 14,336 votes last time, Jyothikumar Chamakkala cemented his presence further in the constituency to concentrate on the grassroots. Although it is not his hometown, Anil Pillai holds considerable sway in Pathanapuram. In addition to personal accusations and counter-accusations, issues such as wildlife attacks and drinking water shortages are also filling the election debate.

The UDF wave in the state in the local body elections had given a wake-up call for the LDF camp. In 2020, the UDF was in power in only two panchayats. In the recent local body elections, the UDF took power in six of the eight panchayats in the constituency. K.B. Ganesh Kumar's majority had reduced from 24562 in 2016 to 14336 in 2021. Realising this, the LDF and Ganesh Kumar intensified their activities at the grassroots level. The BJP, which had only 12398 votes in 2021, has strengthened its roots in the past five years. Along with the political winds, the stance of various communities will also be decisive in the fate of Pathanapuram.