In the tiny Lok Sabha constituency of Lakshadweep, a Union Territory comprising a group of islands in the Arabian Sea, elections have usually been low-key affairs with little to attract any national attention. Those laidback days are gone; in the run up to the 2024 general election, the islands’ atmosphere is uneasily charged, thanks to the political ferment triggered by a series of reforms pushed by Praful Khoda Patel, a political appointee who took over as the Union Territory’s administrator in December 2020.
Voting in the constituency, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes, will be held under the shadow of the protests that raged over the Dweep administration’s alleged disregard for the islanders’ cultural ethos, livelihood opportunities, and basic needs.
New player
In 2014 and 2019, the electoral battle was between the Congress’ Muhammed Hamdullah Sayeed and the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Mohammed Faizal P.P. The NCP candidate won, the last time by a margin of just 823 votes.
These old rivals — both from Androth, the largest of the islands in the chain — are locking horns again. But this time, while Mr. Faizal has been fielded again by the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the party, which has aligned with the BJP in Maharashtra, is fielding its own candidate: T.P. Yousuf from Kadmat island.
‘Flawed reforms’
Mr. Faizal’s last term as an MP was marred by his disqualification, following his conviction in a case of attempted murder. However, he got it suspended with the intervention of the Supreme Court and views his disqualification as a fallout of the protests against the ‘flawed’ reforms, which he says have put the lives of the islanders on the line.
He accuses the Dweep administration of taking away people’s lands, reducing employment opportunities, and rolling back established systems, such as the arrangement for multispecialty doctors to visit the medical centres on the islands. “The worst of the moves was clipping the wings of the panchayats which had authority over five key departments, including education and health. In an unconstitutional move, the administrator made the panchayats defunct,” he alleges, accusing the Congress of remaining a mute spectator through the upheaval.
Rising unemployment
Congress candidate Mr. Sayeed, who represented the island constituency in the Lok Sabha in 2009, blames the Dweep administration and the sitting MP for all ills. “There’s been a marked decline in all sectors, including communication, transportation between islands and the mainland, and education in comparison with their status under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government,” he alleges, accusing Mr. Faizal of colluding with the Union government. Mr. Sayeed flags the issue of rising unemployment, pointing a finger at the administration for disengaging thousands of people engaged in contractual jobs in many departments.
“This apart, over 700 posts have been identified to be abolished. And tourism on these fragile islands should not be at the cost of the culture of the people,” he says. Mr. Sayeed, too, is unsparing in his criticism of the administration for cutting panchayats to size and for not holding elections to the panchayats. “We promise to take Lakshadweep back to how it was earlier,” he says.
All candidates oppose big tourism
Mr. Yousuf feels that his record as a social worker will stand him in good stead. The absence of adequate berthing facilities on the islands and the sparse availability of petrol are among the issues he is highlighting. He also takes exception to the big-ticket tourism projects being brought to the islands, saying it’s not for the islanders. The NCP (Ajit Pawar) faction has not partnered with the BJP in Lakshadweep, but would welcome the votes of BJP supporters, he adds.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), which has a marginal presence in the constituency, has declared its support to Mr. Faizal.
The constituency has 57,784 voters, consisting of 29,278 men and 28,506 women.
