This North Kerala constituency,basking in its illustrious history of mainstream politics and national movements against imperialism,has become the political laboratory of the CPIM to experiment a new formula to win the Muslim vote bank and lay the foundation for a new age Left Front in the state.
The CPIM is supporting Hussain Randathani,a candidate of Peoples Democratic Party PDP chairman Abdul Nazer Madhani,to wrest the seat held by the Indian Union Muslim League IUML,an ally of the Congress,since 1977. The IUML responsibility to retain the seat is shouldered by former minister E T Muhammed Basheer. This was the only seat that weathered the Left hurricane in 2004 when that Front won 18 of the 20 seats in the state.
As in the past elections,imperialism and its manifestations such as the nuclear deal,Israel attack on Gaza,are the favourite electoral issues. If the progressive forces had run the campaign against imperialism in the history of Ponnani,the PDP,which is yet to prove its secular credentials,is running the show this elections. This is a major departure from the tradition of Ponnani,which has contributed Muslims such as Zainudhin Makhdoom and Muhammed Abdurahiman to national mainstream politics.
In its fervour to embrace the Muslim community with the PDP,the CPIM has relegated its own history. In all the LS elections up to 1977,the CPIM had won Ponnani contesting on its own symbol. It had groomed several Muslims from the region to the state party leadership. The late E K Imbichibava and Paloli Muhammedkutty,now a state minister,are examples. Three Assembly segments under Ponnani are now represented by the CPIM.
The secular tradition of the region and its own presence was not enough for the CPIM. The Marxists,who tasted Muslim vote in the historic win of the party candidate in Manjeri Malapuram after delimitation in 2004,dreamed a bigger political agenda on the Muslim canvas,by adopting Madhanis sympathiser as the Left candidate.
But that strategy has changed the politics of Ponnani. With the PDP gaining supremacy in Left politics,polarisation became inevitable among other prominent Muslim organisations. The CPIMs enthusiasm to meddle in Muslim politics has forced its fellow traveller Jamaat-e-Islami to support the IUML. Sunni Muslims,who have been always close to the CPIM,are still noncommittal. Many Muslim segments are still confused over the CPIM agenda.
What suddenly changed the battlelines was the unilateral support to the IUML candidate by the Popular Front of India PFI,a right-wing Muslim outfit formerly known as the National Development Front. In Kerala,the CPIM and PFI are the two organisations keen to get supremacy over the Muslim community. With the PDP moving towards the Left and the PFI in the Congress-Muslim League camp,the Muslim community in Ponnani stands the threat of being deposited into the two camps led by the CPIM and the PFI.
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The magnitude of the intense tussle could be gauged from the frequent clashes between the two parties in Kannur,where at least a dozen Muslims of either the CPIM or PFI lost their lives in the past two years. The root cause has been the PFI resistance to the CPIM bid to storm into the Muslim community in Kannur.
By rallying behind the IUML candidate,the PFI wants to stonewall the CPIM bid to gain supremacy over the community politics.
According to PFI sources,the outfit has sensed the CPIM agenda behind the Ponnani deal with the PDP. By riding piggyback on the PDP,the CPIM wants to gain control over Muslim politics. We cannot allow that strategy to work out in Ponnani even after the elections. The Communists want to wreck the Muslim organisations such as IUML,the largest among the Muslim outfits, a source said.
Though the battle has been for winning Muslim votes,Ponnani has Hindus,figuring to 40 per cent of the population. The BJP,which joined the Ponnani poll fray in 1989 with 48,000 votes,has been improving its tally since then. In the last elections,it bagged 75,000 votes. The rift within the Muslim vote bank has given the Hindu community a larger role in the emerging politics. Of the 9.7 lakh voters,the Hindu share is nearly four lakh.
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According to the latest trends,Muhammed Basheer has an edge over Randathani due to a few factors. They are: the impartial Muslim and Hindu votes could go to Basheer; CPIM cadres,who are against the PDP deal,may cross vote; and a section of the Sangh Parivar could lean towards the Congress to thwart the CPIM bid to promote PDP. CPIM rebel Dr A R Azad would also eat into the Left votes.
Imperialism and Israels attack on Gaza are the favourite issues of the CPIM and PDP. We are controlled by the American agenda. The imperialist forces have certain agents in the community to execute that agenda, said Randathani. He also tried to play up the regional card,saying the rival candidate belongs to another constituency and would not stay with the voters.
On the other hand,Basheer banks upon secularism. The CPIM has joined with Madhani who had injected communalism into the minds of our youths. When the Babri Masjid was demolished,the League stood for peaceful co-existence. Madhani had then diverted a section of youths into extremism. The communist should guard against such elements, Basheer said.
The PDP-CPIM alliance would have a major impact on the voting behaviour of the Hindu community. No impartial voter can comprehend the Communist affair with the PDP. During his rabble-rousing days,Madhani had whipped up communal sentiments. Nobody can forget his vitriolic speeches, said K Muraleedharan,a resident of Thavanoor,a Hindu belt in Ponnani.
Ponnani,Kerala
Candidates
amp;149; E T Muhammed Basheer IUML
amp;149; Hussain Randathani Left-backed Independent
amp;149; K Jinachandran BJP
amp;149; P K Muhammed BSP
amp;149; A R Azad Left rebel
BACK STORY
2004: E Ahammed,IUML
1999: G M Banathwala,IUML
1998: G M Banathwala,IUML
1996: G M Banathwala,IUML
1991: Ibrahim Suleiman Sait,IUML
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