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| Edited By: DNA Web Team |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: May 16, 2016, 05:41 PM IST
A total of 1,203 candidates, including 109 women, are contesting for the 140 assembly seats in Kerala on Monday in which a total of 2.61 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise.
LDF will look to continue the pattern of alternate rule in Kerala but Oommen Chandy is also confident that the jinx will be broken. BJP is also prominently in fray and may well become the difference between winning and losing of two major fronts in several seats. It is unclear though that which front will BJP hurt more. Whether it will split the anti-incumbency vote or eat into Congress' vote bank.
Main contestants seeking entry into assembly are Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Marxist leaders VS Achutanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan, IUML leader and Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, former Finance Minister K M Mani (Kerala Congress-M), BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan, former Union minister O Rajagopal and cricketer Sreesanth.
Some Mollywood actors are also in the fray.
Modi's controversial Kerala-Somalia comparison resulted in trending of hash tag #Po mone Modi# (go off Modi) and the two rival fronts attacking him for the remark.
The electioneering saw local issues giving way to corruption scams like AgustaWestland chopper deal, 2G, 3G, Commonwealth games, though the solar scam and brutal rape and murder of a Dalit woman in the state also figured prominently.
Sonia Gandhi spearheaded Congress campaign as Rahul Gandhi mostly opted out owing to indifferent health.93-year-old V S Achutanandan, LDF's poll mascot, hit the campaign despite his advanced age and sweltering heat It will be interesting to see if the Left can bury its hatchet and perfom in an united matter in this elections.
Kerala is one of the remaining places where Congress still have significant presence. It will like to keep it that way, else it will be out of power in all major states of India except Kerala.
For the Left, Kerala is one island of presence. Hence the party will be desperate to win in the state to retain significance nationally. The Congress and the Left fought together in West Bengal to oust the ruling TMC and are arch-rival in Kerala. Who will have the last laugh will only be known on 19th.
With PTI inputs
