V S Achuthanandan riding tall in red bastion of Palakkad

Though a debutant,Lathika has proved an astute campaigner having reached every nook and cranny of the sprawling rural segment,wooing voters,saying she is “the symbol of women of Kerala,denied justice under LDF rule.”

Going by the history of Malampuzha,only a miracle can defeat CPI-M as it has unfailingly returned party nominees all these decades. Leaders who have represented the segment in the assembly include former Chief Minister E K Nayanar in 1980 and 1982.

Achuthanandan found a safer seat in Malampuzha in 2001 after his 1996 defeat in his home ground Mararikkulam in Alappuzha due to the machinations of inner-party foes.

He was elected from here in 2001 and increased his winning margin to over 20,000 in 2006. In both elections his opponent was Congress’s Satheesan Pacheni,a youth leader from Kannur who was again humbled in 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Palakkad.

LDF maintained its lead in the area in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls as well as the civic elections last year despite the coalition suffering losses in and around the segment.

“We are sure of a thumping victory based on the party’s strength and the popularity of comrade ‘VS’. The Congress candidate’s claims are just publicity stunt,” a CPI(M) district functionary said.

As in 2006,Achuthanandan has made a dramatic return to the poll arena,thwarting designs of his foes to keep him off the fray.

In his brief but powerful speeches,he urges people to vote LDF back to power so that the ‘good work’ done by his government can be taken forward.

While putting across political points,he seeks to remind voters that his whole life has been a crusade against corruption and injustice and would show no mercy to the sexual abusers,however mighty they are.

His opponent Lathika,a teacher,freelance journalist,blogger and women¿s rights campaigner,however,has declined to be awed by the stature and popularity of Achuthanandan.

“I know my task is stupendous. But I am confident I will be able to expose the divergence between the words and action of my opponent,who has done nothing on most issues including his claim of taking to task exploiters of women”,she said.

BJP has allotted the seat to ally JD(U),a virtual non-entity in Kerala,which has fielded P K Majeed as its contestant.

BJP’s absence in such a crucial constituency has been termed as ‘mysterious’ by UDF leaders. But both LDF and the saffron party have claimed there is no method in it.

A rural segment dominated by agrarian population,Malampuzha is synonymous with one of South India’s major

irrigation projects. It has an electorate of 1,78,781,most of whom are backward class small-holders or farm hands.