Battle lines are drawn in Kottayam with the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) president Thushar Vellappally announcing his candidacy for the Lok Sabha seat.
While Mr. Vellappally will be running for the Kottayam seat, party vice-president Sangeeta Viswanath will be fielded from Idukki. Last week, the party had announced its candidates for the Mavelikara and Chalakudy seats as well.
Mr. Vellappally said his election campaign will kick off with an event on March 18. The campaign in Idukki, meanwhile, will be held on March 20.
According to Mr. Vellappally, the delay in announcing the candidates will have no impact on the party’s prospects in the elections as it launched its pre-election work in Kottayam at least six months ago.
“Victory is guaranteed. I have received assurances from Union Ministers that the price of rubber will be increased to ₹250. A rise in rubber prices will benefit not only the Kottayam parliamentary constituency but also all farmers in the State. Kottayam cannot stand alone when the entire country supports Modi,” he said.
The entry of Mr. Vellappally into the fray is slated to add intensity to the poll battle in Kottayam, where the two rival Kerala Congress parties are engaged in a fierce struggle.
LDF, UDF intensify campaign
Following the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, both Left democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) intensified their electioneering on Saturday. The LDF candidate, Thomas Chazhikadan, visited the coalition’s Central Election Committee office during the day and reviewed the progress of his campaign.
The UDF, on the other hand, has constituted a jumbo committee consisting of 7,100 members to secure the victory of their candidate, K. Francis George. The committee, with Mons Joseph, MLA, as its general convener, comprises several senior UDF leaders such as K.C. Joseph, Anoop Jacob, Mani C. Kappan, Chandy Oommen, and P.C. Thomas.
