Campaign nale turns out to be a virtual celebration

While Peroorkada witnessed the culmination of campaign for the Thiruvananthapuram constituency, for Attingal the event was held at Attingal Junction; some candidates were seen perched atop cranes while parties attempted to outdo each other in pomp; nale e

2024-04-25 -

(Clockwise from above) United Democratic Front candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency Shashi Tharoor atop a crane waves to supporters during the grand finale of the campaigning at Peroorkada on Wednesday; Left Democratic Front candidate Pannian Raveendran among supporters; and National Democratic Alliance supporters wave party flags during the finale.

An unusually long election campaign stretching over 40 days in hot and humid conditions can be tiring for candidates as well party workers. But, none of that tiredness was visible on Wednesday as the three major political fronts in Thiruvananthapuram turned the grand nale of the campaigning into a virtual celebration with the parties attempting to outdo each other in pomp and loudness quotient.

Cranes seemed to be

much in demand on the concluding day across Kerala for candidates to raise themselves above the crowd of party workers and have a bird’s eye view of the celebrations. At Peroorkada Junction, the major centre of nale in the city, United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate and three-time MP Shashi Tharoor was the rst to perch atop a crane and greet the workers. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar soon went up on another crane, almost starting a competition as to who would get maximum elevation. True

The police had demarcated speci c areas for celebrations for each party

to the thrust of his campaign, Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Pannian Raveendran chose to stand on the soil than y high up.

Speci c areas

Anticipating tension between the party workers, the police had demarcated specic areas for celebrations for each party. A few police personnel were

posted in the space between the parties. However, the grand nale events in the city were of a friendly nature and largely peaceful. Workers of various fronts used colour bursts and laser lights in a campaign culmination marked by its vibrancy.

At the Attingal junction, the major centre of nale in the Attingal constituency, LDF candidate V. Joy, UDF candidate Adoor Prakash, and BJP candidate V. Muraleedharan came together with their respective party workers for the celebrations. Though the celebrations at Attingal too

were generally peaceful, a few minor skirmishes were reported.

Other spots

In addition to Peroorkada and Attingal, campaign celebrations were also concentrated in Thirumala, Vattiyurkavu, East Fort, Vizhinjam, Pappanamcode, Sreekaryam, Kazhakuttam, Kalliyur, Beemapally-Poonthura, Neyyattinkara Town, Kilimanoor, Vithura, Varkala Maidanam, Parassala, Udiyankulangara, Venjaramoodu, Vellarada Junction, and Kattakada Junction.