The decision to field V S Achuthanandan for a third time from Malampuzha in Keralas Palakkad district is being received in party circles with evident relief and eagerly concealed enthusiasm. Ironically,the diminished spirit seems just what the local party functionaries wanted. Had V S been fielded as readily as Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,they might have had trouble suppressing broader smiles. This would have got them into trouble with the bigger bosses. This is amply evident in Elappully,party General Secretary Prakash Karats hometown. The local committee office has a couple of uneasy youngsters who act like Karat cloneslips half-smiling,eyes wary and voices struggling through rehearsed lines. If you thought the matter was settled,think again. The only thing the party here knows is that VS is the candidate and that he will easily win from herewith a quickly chipped in caveat that any faceless candidate would as well. Malampuzha has always voted Left. After much persuasion,the local committee secretary goes as far as to admit that VS would make a bigger difference by drawing the iffy votes elsewhere in the state too. Enough to possibly take the Left front to a historic consecutive win. He cant say whether the campaign will project VS as the leader of the Left Front. His brief is to work for VS. Chief Ministerial VS can only happen after much more painful flip-flops. Outside the Karat zone,in the industrial belt of Pudusserry and Kanjikode,the cadres seem more relaxed. Enough to admit that a whole-hearted decision shouldve come much sooner. They acknowledge VSs strength,which is to draw the much needed extra vote. People know him so well. He neednt even come here once. That would give him time to campaign all over the state. He can project his good work here and that will dispel the notion that he is averse to development. No time to do a Nitish Kumar. Development is hardly the issue, says a party-baiting VS voter. His priority would be to show the apparatchiks where they belong. Youll soon see how selectively VS would campaign. And watch out for his famous barbs. The party will have a lot to answer for. For one,how it so quickly nursed back an infirm man who was excused on health grounds to fighting fitness. So the TV channels will get more eyeballs than the extra votes VS would bring in.
