THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Month-long election campaign that demonstrated controversies and fiery displays of excitement has come to an end. Wayanad parliamentary and Chelakkara assembly constituencies, where by-elections are being held, will go to the polls tomorrow. The by-election to the Palakkad assembly seat will be held on the 20th. However, the ripples of tremors created by the Palakkad constituency, which has become a land of controversies, are sure to influence the fate of these constituencies as well. Apart from this, there is also the wind of support blowing from the Wayanad passes, which were stirred by Rahul and Priyanka.
The CPM and the LDF are fighting a life-and-death battle to retain Chelakkara, which has been holding the red flag for over three decades. It is a matter of pride for UDF that Ramya Haridas, who came to Parliament in 2019 from the Alathur constituency, which includes Chelakkara, should get a ticket to the assembly from here. For the NDA, who is not tired of the excitement of winning the Thrissur parliamentary seat, a victory in the next battle in the same district will be twice as sweet.
With the next assembly elections barely a year and a half away, the result in Chelakkara, as in Palakkad, is a stepping stone for all three fronts.
The reality is that the three fronts are not seriously concerned about the outcome in Wayanad, which attracted national attention with Priyanka Gandhi's maiden election after Rahul Gandhi. UDF aims to increase Priyanka's majority to five lakh. Sathyan Mokeri is the popular leader who once shook the UDF forts. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was made a star campaigner by the LDF in preparation to repeat it once again. The BJP has put in a lot of hard work to show its strength for Navya Haridas, who has won the hearts of the people within a short span of time with her bold moves, by bringing union ministers, including Suresh Gopi, for the campaign.
Controversies pouring down like rain