Thomas Chazhikkadan, Francis George.
Credit: Facebook/ThomasChazhikadan; Facebook/KFrancis George
Kottayam, Kerala: The first constituency in Kerala where the feverish campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections started much before other segments did was Kottayam. This is because the first candidate for the state was announced here.
When their political rivals were engaged in intense discussions to finalise their candidates, the Kerala Congress(M), a key coalition partner in the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), declared in mid-February that its MP Thomas Chazhikkadan would contest again from the Kottayam constituency.
Since then, Kottayam, the citadel of regional and influential Kerala Congress parties and the hub of rubber plantations in the state, has been witnessing intense campaigning to wrest and retain the significant constituency.
After suffering countless splits in recent years, the Kerala Congress factions seemed to be switching their associations with the CPI (M)-led LDF and the Congress-headed UDF.
While local MP and LDF candidate Chazhikkadan is the nominee of the Kerala Congress (Mani), former Lok Sabha member Francis George is the candidate of the Kerala Congress (Joseph), an ally of the opposition UDF.
Interestingly, Chazhikadan won the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as a UDF candidate, and his party KC(M) later switched to LDF due to its leadership's differences with the Congress leaders in the state.
It is a prestigious fight for Chazhikkadan and the KC(M) to retain the constituency, while George is on a mission to wrest the UDF stronghold back and thus prove that the voters are unhappy with the performance of the present MP and the LDF government in the state.
Predominantly a Christian-majority segment, Kottayam also boasts a significant Hindu population, and the BJP-led NDA candidate Thushar Vellappally is banking on their support.
Vellappally, a relatively late entrant into the electoral arena, serves as the national president of Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a key ally of the BJP in the southern state. His father, Vellappally Natesan, is the leader of Kerala's numerically strong Ezhava community.
What sets the fight in the Kottayam constituency apart from other segments is the direct confrontation between two rival factions of the KC(M) and the KC(J), which have long dominated the political landscape of central Travancore (south Kerala).
Despite the prominence of the major candidates and multiple rounds of campaigning, it remains unclear who holds a clear advantage in the constituency and in the minds of the voters.
A myriad of issues, ranging from national topics like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Modi government's stance towards minorities, and the unrest in Manipur, to regional matters such as declining rubber prices, the challenges faced by traditional farmers, and the irregular disbursement of welfare pensions by the state government, could play a decisive role in shaping the outcome of the contest.
According to senior voters who have observed the constituency's dynamics for decades, regardless of other topics, the rubber price issue will take precedence in Kottayam.
Thomas, a local resident, sarcastically remarked, "What's an election for Kottayam without a discussion on rubber?'"
He, in his early 70s, emphasised that no election, be it Assembly or Lok Sabha polls, had passed here without addressing the rubber sector.
"The situation appears to be no different this time either. Both the ruling and opposition fronts have pledged to intervene to increase the minimum support price for this cash crop," he told PTI.
As the issue continues to dominate election debates, the Congress-led UDF criticises the state government for the declining price of natural rubber and for failing to fulfill its election manifesto promise of raising the minimum support price to Rs 250.
On the other hand, the CPI(M)-LDF accuses the former UPA government at the Centre, led by the Congress, which had signed the ASEAN pact, for the present crisis.
Amidst the elections, the BJP seeks to capitalise on the concerns of rubber growers by pledging to increase the minimum support price of the cash crop if voted to power.
Chazhikkadan is seeking a second term, citing his achievements as an MP.
"I am the only person who has spent 100 per cent of my MP fund in the last five years," he said.
He also claimed the implementation of 282 divergent projects in the constituency, railway development to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore, and significant road development.
However, George, an advocate of farmers' rights, is highlighting the challenges faced by paddy and rubber growers in the state and promises effective interventions to resolve them.
He accused the state and union governments of exacerbating the crisis faced by the agrarian community through their 'wrong policies.'
George also outlined various development plans for the comprehensive revival of the constituency, including Travancore Cements, completing the sports institute in Chingavanam, and developing the Travancore-Cochin tourism circuit.
Meanwhile, Thushar Vellappally, like his NDA co-candidates in other constituencies, is seeking votes in the name of the development vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government at the Centre.
At the hub of the rubber farming sector, he promises to raise the minimum price for the cash crop to Rs 250, a long-standing demand of the growers.
The development of tourism centres and the establishment of a tourism circuit connecting major pilgrim centres in the district are among his major promises to the voters.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Chazhikkadan won by securing 4,21,046 votes against his rival candidates V N Vasavan (CPI-M) who bagged 3,14,787 votes and P C Thomas (NDA) with 1,55,135 votes.
Came into being in 1954, the Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency comprises the assembly segments of Piravom, Pala, Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom, Ettumanoor, Kottayam, and Puthuppally.
The upcoming Lok Sabha polls hold significant emotional weight for both voters and leaders here, as it marks the first general election since the demise of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Ex-Finance Minister K M Mani, the two titans of Kerala politics hailing from Kottayam.