Kovalam keeps all guessing

By J. Ajith Kumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 8. The sea off the Kovalam coast is rather calm, at least outwardly, most of the time. But there could be undercurrents beneath the surface. The deceptive calm on the surface has, many a time, proved to be disastrous too. The same seems to be the case with the election scene in the coastal constituency of Kovalam, where everything is apparently calm and quiet, but simmering within.

A former Minister facing charges of sexual harassment of two senior women bureaucrats, now faces a woman candidate in his home turf. Will the battle for Kovalam in the beach constituency of Thiruvananthapuram district, be a Waterloo for the former LDF Minister, Dr. A. Neelalohithadasan Nadar? This is the topic that is being debated in political circles.

Though the UDF claims that the allegations against Dr. Nadar have not been made an election issue, there is no denying the fact that it is `the' issue and other matters such as development or the lack of it in the constituency come only next. A whispering campaign, certainly, is on and is also gaining momentum by the day.

However, Ms. Alphonsa John, Congress candidate, denies all this. She says she has been harping on the backwardness of the constituency, which her rival had represented four times. ``For nearly a quarter of a century Dr. Neelan has been in the saddle, in various capacities, as a Minister, MP and MLA. But what is his contribution to the development of this totally backward area, inhabited mainly by the fishermen community and other economically weaker sections?" she asks.

The absence of a proper water supply scheme is one of the key issues in this constituency lined by the sea on the one side, she says adding that supply of fresh water still remains a dream for the people here. There has been no infrastructure development worth the name, no proper roads or bridges and no communication facilities, as compared to the neighbouring constituencies. Even the work on the Vizhinjam fishing harbour, started in the early 1960s, is yet to be completed, Ms. John points out.

The LDF camp seems to be confident of yet another victory for its candidate. The nearly 22,000 margin of votes that Mr. Nadar had secured in 1996, just cannot be wiped off that easily, the LDF managers say. "The allegations levelled against him have not yet been proved. Moreover, the people of Kovalam know him too well to be carried away by such `false propaganda'. He is one among us and is the son of this soil. We are with him through thick and thin," they reiterate.

In his capacity as the elected representative of the people here, he has done everything possible for the development of this constituency, the pro-Nadar camp claims.

The UDF alleges that the `Neelan camp' has been playing the communal card in this constituency where there is a predominant Nadar presence. The Nadars form 30 to 35 per cent of the electorate of over 1,80,000. The Latin Catholics come next in strength. Incidentally, the UDF candidate belongs to this denomination. The IUML and the PDP have considerable influence among the nearly 25,000 Muslim voters.

The tall claims about the margin in the last elections do not hold water right now, the UDF camp claims. In the two subsequent elections to the Lok Sabha and in the local body polls, this margin was almost offset. In the elections to the local bodies, six of the eight `grama' panchayats favoured the UDF. The UDF also wrested all the three district panchayat divisions falling in the Kovalam constituency, the UDF managers recall. They also accuse the LDF of trying to create the impression that the UDf candidate is an `outsider' in the constituency.

The BJP has not yet been able to make its presence felt in the constituency. More than his physical presence in the election arena, Mr. V.N. Gopalakrishnan Nair, BJP candidate, appears on posters displayed at vantage points in the constituency, especially in areas such as Venganoor and Kalliyur. No doubt, his electioneering is still on a low key and the UDF hopes to cash in on the visible inertia in the BJP camp. In the 1996 elections, the BJP had pocketed 3,649 votes, but over the years it has certainly broadened its mass base in the constituency.

With the activists of the Sthree Vedi, an organisation committed to the welfare of women and currently engaged in a campaign against candidates facing sexual harassment charges, pitching tent in the Kovalam constituency, the LDF camp is a bit jittery. They have launched a tirade against Dr. Nadar, who has by now been chargesheeted in the `Nalini Netto case'. Addressing small gatherings of women and children in the coastal hamlets, the Sthree Vedi workers, under the leadership of its president, Ms. K. Ajitha, have been trying to explain the `disastrous consequences' if Dr. Nadar is elected yet again. They have also been flaying both the major fronts for not evincing `adequate interest' in the issue.

In Kovalam, regarded as the capital of "God's own Country", the sailing is not smooth for either of the major fronts. Will Dr. Neelalohithadasan Nadar be able to ride the crest of a victory wave yet again, or will the winds of change favour a triumph for Ms. Alphonsa John, well, the answer is elusive at the moment.

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Section  : State Elections
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