Allout efforts to strike a chord with cultural ethos of Ponnani
A modest concrete house at Thriprangode, near Tirur, where the scion of famous Malayalam critic Kuttikrishna Marar lived was abuzz on Thursday morning. The undeclared arrival of Ponnani’s Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate K.S. Hamza surprised the women at the house. But the excitement soon gave way for courtesy as they offered him a chair to sit.
But the candidate was in shock to find no monument or landmark for the great Malayalam writer. “If you elect me, we shall construct a memorial for Kuttikrishna Marar,” said Mr. Hamza.
It was a special day for the LDF candidate as he chose to visit the centres of culture and heritage during his electioneering. He started the day from Thunchanparamba, where Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan was born, and covered Wagon Tragedy Memorial Town Hall at Tirur, the historic site of Mamangam at Tirunavaya, the house of poet Edassery Govindan Nair at Ponnani, the ancestral house of Artist Namboothiri at Ponnani, the Misri Masjid at Ponnani, and the Kavimuttam garden at Ponnani containing the statues of writers Uroob, Kadavanad Kuttikrishnan and Edassery.
Mr. Hamza was winding up the fourth phase of his campaign, which focused largely on houses, family gatherings, individuals and organisations. He said the campaign focus will now shift to public rallies and roadshows. He never missed out on opportunities to lash out at the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), of which he was a functionary until recently. But the IUML, notably, has been ignoring his charges.
Almost at the same time when Mr. Hamza reached the Mamangam remains at Tirunavaya, where he promised a proper road to the Nilapaduthara if he becomes an MP, his main competitor and the United Democratic Front (UDF)‘s sitting MP M.P. Abdussamad Samadani was seeking votes at the famous Navamukunda temple hardly a kilometre away. Known as the Kashi of South India, the temple bathing ghats had a few faithful offering bali rites. Mr. Samadani chatted with them.
Seeking support
The temple officials welcomed Mr. Samadani, who requested their help. He also sought the support of dozens of devotees who reached the temple. Earlier, he visited Warrier Matham about a kilometre east of the temple and sought the blessings of the inmates and managers there. Even as he continued his electioneering, his party leader and IUML State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal flagged off half a dozen campaign vehicles fitted with large LED screens at Kottakkal. The large screens flashed images of Mr. Samadani wearing his trademark coffee brown woollen cap.
“The victory of the UDF candidates is a must for the protection of the country’s secular ethos. I shall not disappoint you if you elect me,” Mr. Samadani told the voters.
Their BJP rival Nivedita Subramanian, who is the State president of the Mahila Morcha, was campaigning at Kapoor in Thrithala. She arrived at St. Mary’s Church at Perumannur, Chalissery, and requested their support. She met voters at Koolath Colony. She said both UDF and LDF were resorting to false propaganda to prevent the minorities from joining the BJP.