UDF sure of an encore in Wayanad, LDF, NDA highlight a clutch of issues
The lush green tea gardens are a fascinating sight for anyone travelling on the KozhikodeOoty interstate highway. However, the beauty does not reflect on the lives of the workers at these estates.
When Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Annie Raja, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, arrived at a tea estate near Chundale around 8 a.m. as part of her campaigning, she got a taste of their troubles.
The women were just starting to pluck the leaves, unmindful of the blistering morning sun, and they filled her in on their plight, including low wages, the wretched condition of accommodation in estates, and the dearth of medical care facilities in the plantation sector.
She spent nearly three hours with them and promised to raise the issues in Parliament if elected.
Ms. Raja hopes that her early entry into the fray will reap benefits. “We are mainly focussing on doortodoor visits as my second phase campaigning is nearing completion,” Ms. Raja says.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) camp is in an elated mood following the mega roadshow organised by Congress leader and incumbent MP Rahul Gandhi, along with his sister and All India Congress Committee general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, here last week in connection with the filing of his nomination.
At tribal hamlets
After submitting his nomination, Mr. Gandhi, along with All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal, went directly to the Maravayal Paniya tribal settlement, near Munderi, here. The duo presented the election manifesto of the Congress titled Nyay Patra and explained to the tribespeople the promises in it.
The ‘antipeople’ policies of the Union and State governments are the major issues being raised by the Congress. The party has launched a youth campaign titled ‘Street with Ra(Clockwise from top left) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi distributing election manifesto among residents of the Maravayal Paniya tribal hamlet near Kalpetta; LDF candidate and CPI leader Annie Raja along with tea estate workers at Chundale; and NDA candidate and BJP State president K. Surendran visiting the Chundappadi tribal hamlet, near Kallur, in Wayanad district.
hul Gandhi’ and is organising doortodoor visits by party workers, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president T. Siddique, MLA, said.
K. Surendran, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate, has completed his first round of campaigning.
He is focussing on the ‘antipeople’ policies of the State government and the incumbent MP’s ‘apathy’ to the constituency’s development. A fourpronged strategy for the develop
ment of the constituency is highlighted in his campaign planks.
Main issues
Apart from the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), recurring humanwildlife conflicts, night traffic ban in Bandipur Tiger Reserve on National Highway 766 and MananthavadyBavali interstate highway, dearth of medical facilities, delay in realising the NilamburNanjangud railway line, and alternative roads to Wayanad dominate the poll scene.