THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the election campaign draws to a close today, the fronts are sharpening their weapons to attack each other despite the ban on the crowded finale of open campaigning. At the same time, the controversy surrounding the use of the word 'Captain'to address Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan paved the way for a heated debate in the CPM and the Left Front in the
last hours.

While the Left Front is working hard to ensure the continuation of rule, the UDF is fighting with all its might to regain power. The NDA, which has declared that it will be a decisive force in Kerala, has posed a challenge to both fronts and has taken several constituencies to the unpredictable level of the triangular war.

The opposition, which has been raising allegations of corruption against the government to the fullest, has recently taken up the power deal allegation that has made Adani profitable.

With Modi, Amit Shah, Rahul, Priyanka and Yechury campaigning for their respective parties in full swing, the campaign stage was abuzz this time. Yesterday, Amit Shah toured the northern region. Today, Rahul will reach Poojappura in the Nemom constituency.

The LDF is excited by the large crowds that attended the meetings led by its star campaigned Pinarayi Vijayan. Realizing this, the UDF and the BJP intensified their criticism of the Chief Minister.

The weapons used by the fronts include gold smuggling case, Sabarimala issue, deep sea controversy, love jihad and disputes over alliance with BJP. When the UDF and LDF accused each other of forming a secret alliance with BJP, PM Modi retaliated by mocking about the UDF-LDF merger.

The war of words over 'relationship' is rampant across the Nemom constituency. While UDF candidate K Muraleedharan said that the CPM and the BJP can contest for the second spot, Left candidate V Sivankutty claimed that the major contest will be between the LDF and the NDA. Meanwhile, BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan said that there was a secret understanding between Congress and CPM. It will be interesting to see who ends up third here.

It was senior leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who paved a way for a debate in the LDF by saying that there are no captains and only comrades in CPM. According to Kodiyeri, all leaders, including Pinarayi Vijayan and VS Achuthanandan, are comrades and not captains. Soon, a controversy erupted after P Jayarajan wrote on Facebook that the party was the captain. CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran also said that there was no captain in the Communist party and that everyone was a comrade. Pinarayi, however, did not reject or accept it.

Earlier, the party leadership had made it clear that the CPM did not approve of personal worship. The leadership made the statement after some activists lavished praises on P Jayarajan. The party leadership even issued a warning to Jayarajan in connection with the incident. It must be noted that the leadership had stated that the party was bigger than the individual even when VS Achuthanandan was celebrated by the party workers. That is what makes the current debate so significant.