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Journalism of Courage
Chandy Oommen’s resounding victory in the Puthuppally Assembly by-election by a record margin for the seat, is a win for the election management team of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which the party had earlier blamed for the poor performance in the 2021 Assembly elections.
Although sympathy for Oommen Chandy — the long-time previous MLA from the constituency, whose son was fielded after his death — played a role in the bypoll outcome, the UDF had not left it to the sympathy factor alone. A fall in the victory margin of the Congress candidate could have given ammunition to detractors within the party against the leadership of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) V D Satheesan and KPCC president K Sudhakaran. After the Thrikkakara bypoll of 2022, the duo have proved again that they can run an election campaign on their own against the might of Pinarayi Vijayan and M V Govindan of the ruling CPI(M).
On Friday, soon after the results, Sudhakaran said, “It was Satheesan’s strategic leadership that gave shape to the UDF campaign. He led the campaign right from Day One and gave confidence to workers in a constituency where the party machinery was lacking on many fronts.’’
However, some within the Congress are still cautious. Former KPCC president and the party MP from Vatakara, K Muraleedharan, said the massive win at Puthuppally was possible only because the party leadership concentrated on one constituency. “But the party has to travel a long distance to the next Parliament elections, where this strategy would not work. It would not be possible for the entire party machinery to focus on a particular constituency as it did at Puthuppally. The party has to strengthen the organisational machinery,’’ he said.
The Congress was in the field with its candidate within hours of the election schedule being announced. Satheesan moved to Puthuppally and camped there overseeing the electioneering. He revived and reshuffled some of the booth committees. Senior leaders from Kottayam district K C Joseph and Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan were given overall charge of the constituency. Panchayat-level campaigning was taken over by various district Congress committees, with one panchayat being allotted to a DCC. That apart, MPs and MLAs were also put on duty in all eight panchayats in the constituency.
The UDF also started squad work as soon as the candidate was finalised. The party got election material ready to be distributed by August 9, a day after the bypoll was announced. The UDF leadership ensured the support of Christian groups, particularly the rival Orthodox and Jacobite factions. Chandy belongs to the Orthodox church, while CPI(M) candidate Jaick C Thomas follows the Jacobite denomination.
Satheesan also ensured that the death of Oommen Chandy, the Congress’s Christian face in Kerala, did not leave a lacuna in its Christian vote bank, especially at a time when the BJP was knocking at the doors of the Church in Central Kerala.
To counter the CPI(M) grassroots campaign, the Congress focused on family get-togethers. The UDF held 300-odd family gatherings, addressed by senior state leaders. The UDF also took advantage of the CPI(M) cyber campaign against the daughter of the departed leader, Achu, and allegations about his treatment. The UDF succssfully conveyed the impression that the CPI(M) was carrying out a vindictive campaign against the former CM even after his death.
To cash in on anti-government sentiments, UDF leaders questioned Chief Minister Vijayan’s silence over allegations against his daughter Veena T in the Income Tax department report, which said her IT firm got regular payments from mineral sand processing firm Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) without rendering any service. Although Vijayan addressed conventions in all eight panchayats in the constituency, he dodged controversies about his daughter and focused on developmental projects executed in Kerala under his seven-year-long regime.
The UDF also ensured that at no stage of the electioneering, INDIA, their national alliance that includes the CPI(M), emerge as an embarrassing topic in the campaigning.
