Nemom as cynosure of all eyes in Kerala assembly polls

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 17 (PTI): If anyone asks which is the most talked-about constituency in Kerala in the April 6 assembly polls, a majority of the people may have only one answer — Nemom, a tiny suburb located on the outskirts of the state capital.
And, what makes it so high profile is the do-or-die situation faced by the major political fronts-Congress-led UDF, CPI(M)-headed LDF and BJP-NDA- at this segment which has already garnered national attention. Nemom is the lone seat of BJP in the Kerala Assembly.
BJP candidate and former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan and LDF nominee V Sivankutty have already begun their campaign in the constituency.
Though a bit late, Congress heavyweight, K Muraleedharan, whose candidature was announced onlytwo days ago, made a mass entry into the constituency by taking out a mammoth road-show.
With the arrival of a strong leader like Muraleedharan, Nemom is expected to witness one of the toughest triangular fights in its history in the polls.
Rajasekharan, who submitted nomination papers on Wednesday, expressed confidence about his victory and said the BJP would surely retain the seat.
The senior leader, who was reportedly the unanimous choice of the saffron party as candidate in the prestigious segment, said his candidature was the result of the trust shown by the people of Nemom.
The saffron party has no choice but trying all means to retain their sole Assembly constituency, which they had gained after years of struggles and toil, breaking the dominance of decades-long bipolar polity enjoyed by the UDF and LDF in the southern state.
However, the traditional fronts- UDF and LDF- have the heavy responsibility to throw out the BJP from the soil of the state to reclaim their hegemony in polls and implement their aim to keep the state “BJP mukth”.
The steady rise in its vote bank in Nemom has prompted many BJP leaders tolabel the constituency as the “Gujarat of Kerala” while Marxist party termed it as their “red fort” quoting the figures of the voting percentage in previous polls.