Just a week after the Thrissur Pooram, the Swaraj round witnessed another carnivalesque mood. Campaigns of all the three fronts converged on the Swaraj Round, opposite to Thekke Gopura Nada of Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple, where a sea of humanity gathered to watch the iconic Kudamattam.
Energy and spirit was at the crescendo this time too. All the three fronts, led by their respective candidates, lined up to showcase their power.
With three high-profile candidates in the mix, Thrissur is one of the keenly watched constituencies in Kerala. All the three fronts are upbeat about their prospects in the election, though a nail-biting competition is in the offing.
The finale of the United Democratic Front campaign was held in front of the Thrissur Corporation office, the Left Democratic Front’s campaign climax was held in front of Jose Theatre, and the National Democratic Alliance’s climax in front of Ragam Theatre.
All the three candidates K. Muraleedharan (UDF), V.S. Sunil Kumar (LDF), and Suresh Gopi (NDA) participated in the climax.
K. Muraleedharan’s surprise entry to the constituency increased the confidence among UDF workers. The majority won by T.N. Prathapan in the last Lok Sabha election has made them confident. So far, the most resounding victory in the Lok Sabha elections in Thrissur was of Mr. Prathapan in 2019, against CPI’s Rajaji Mathew Thomas by 93,633 votes.
The LDF banks on the popularity of three-time MLA and former Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar in the constituency. Moreover the LDF is confident as it emerged victorious in all the seven Assembly constituencies — Guruvayur, Manalur, Ollur, Thrissur, Nattika, Irinjalakuda, Puthukkad — in the 2021 elections. However, the electoral fortunes used to differ in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Even when the LDF secured a sweeping victory in Thrissur district in 2016, winning 12 of the 13 Assembly Constituencies, the UDF walked away with all the three Lok Sabha seats in the district — Chalakudy, Thrissur and Alathur in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, the NDA is confident about the chances of its actor-politician candidate Suresh Gopi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself inaugurated his campaign, showing the importance given by the NDA camp to this constituency. The Bharatiya Janata Party had its best performance in Thrissur through Suresh Gopi in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. He won 2,93,822 votes (28.19%), which was 17% more than the former election.
However, the Thrissur electorate has always been unpredictable. The political history of the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency is full of anti-climaxes. From 1952 to 2019, Thrissur stood with the LDF 10 times. UDF candidates have been elected from the constituency seven times.
The multi-crore Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank loan scam is one of the key campaign issues in the constituency this time. Getting the caste and community equations right has always been a challenge for the parties in the constituency, which has 35% Christian and 16% Muslim voters.
Meanwhile, the Collector declared prohibitory order in the district from 6 p.m. on April 24 to 6 a.m. on April 27 in connection with the election. However, emergency services, voting centres, business institutions, weddings, funerals, cinema and other entertainment centres can function without disturbing the peace and tranquillity.
