Idukki: UDF might wrestle to wrest erstwhile Congress’ bastion

Express News Service
IDUKKI: Over the previous one-and-a-half a long time, the erstwhile Congress bastion of Idukki has been step by step drifting in direction of the LDF. In truth, the district has not despatched a single member of the grand outdated social gathering to the meeting since 2006. In 2016, KC(M) had managed to safe the Idukki and Thodupuzha seats, whereas LDF retained the remaining three — Udumbanchola, Peermade and Devikulam.The outcomes of the latest native physique ballot too delivered a extreme blow to the UDF management right here, as LDF wrested 31 of the 51 grama panchayats, 4 block panchayats and the district panchayat.

However, there may be a lot hope for the UDF in Thodupuzha, the place Kerala Congress supremo P J Joseph is within the fray. Joseph had gained with a report margin of 45,587 votes right here within the final elections. He has represented the constituency 9 instances to date. Thodupuzha is likely one of the two seats in Idukki the place the Joseph faction, a UDF constituent, is in direct contest with the Jose Ok Mani-led Kerala Congress (M), which is now with the LDF. In truth, his rival candidate Ok I Antony of the KC(M) was earlier a member of Joseph’s social gathering.

Idukki is the opposite constituency within the district which is able to witness the Joseph and Jose factions lock horns. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the UDF had a lead of 37,116 votes within the meeting section. The LDF had garnered 47,319 votes and the NDA 15,223. However, UDF’s lead declined to six,424 votes within the 2020 native physique elections.The Kerala Congress has been contesting from the Idukki seat since 1991. In 2016, incumbent KC(M) MLA Roshy Augustine garnered 60,556 votes to safe the seat, defeating his former Kerala Congress colleague Ok Francis George by 9,333 votes. With the Jose faction becoming a member of the Left entrance, Roshy has now been named the LDF candidate. Meanwhile, the UDF allotted the seat to the Joseph faction, which fielded Francis George.

Syriac Thomas, who misplaced the Peermade seat by a mere 314 votes to E S Bijimol of CPI in 2016, is looking for mandate once more this time. The CPI has fielded commerce union chief Vazhoor Soman, changing sitting MLA Bijimol. Udumbanchola, which is being represented by Electricity Minister and senior CPM chief M M Mani, is ready to witness a repeat of the constituency’s 1996 battle. Former MLA and senior Congress chief E M Augusthy, who gained the seat by a margin of 4,667 votes 25 years in the past, has been fielded to wrest the seat from Mani this time. In 2016, the UDF had misplaced by simply 1,109 votes.