A high profile electoral battle is in the offing in this Communist bastion in Kerala where CPI-M politburo member and state Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is locked in a keen contest with young Congress nominee Rigil Makkutty. The cradle of Communism in the state,Thalassery is no stranger to heavyweight contestants as previous representatives include former Chief Minister late E K Nayanar and former Supreme Court judge V R Krishna Iyer,who became Law and Irrigation Minister in the first Communist ministry in 1957-59. This coastal town in Kannur district,the first headquarters of the British regime in Malabar region,has the reputation of favouring CPI-M candidates,except once when CPI veteran late N E Balaram won when his party was a constituent in the Congress coalition. This time the poll battle has assumed significance from the start as CPI-M's initial plan was to go under Balakrishnan's leadership,keeping Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan off the arena. The segment continues to be a crucial battleground for the party as 57-year-old Balakrishnan is the only politburo member contesting in Kerala and is certain to play a key role in LDF,whether it gets a fresh mandate or is destined to sit in the opposition. The history of the segment shows LDF has a clear edge over UDF aspirant Makkutty,the state Vice-President of Congress's campus wing,Kerala Students' Union. Balakrishnan,an astute campaigner who came up through the ranks,enjoys the 'man-next-door' image in his home turf which he has been representing in the assembly for nearly two decades. The powerful poll machinery of CPI-M has been fully cranked up and has completed the first round of canvassing,covering every nook and cranny of the segment. The UDF,on the other hand,has started a bit late as it was only last week its candidate was announced after several probable names did the rounds. In 2006,Balakrishnan won the seat by a handsome margin of over 10,000 votes defeating Congress's fiery speaker Rajmohan Unnithan. Thalassery has remained loyal to LDF during the strong pro-UDF wave that swept the state in the civic polls last year. Apart from political advantages,Balakrishnan is seeking a fresh mandate with a list of developments he has brought to the constituency,known as the town of "triple Cs"- Cake,Cricket and Circus. Though a debutant and aware of being pitted against a heavyweight,Makkutty has refused to be disheartened as he has been picked for the hard task by the central leadership as part of its policy of bringing in youth and new faces. The Congress candidate exudes confidence that he will create history this time by wresting the seat for the party. "People in Kerala are keen on a change of rule. Thalassery alone will not turn its back against the massive pro-UDF trend," he said. The UDF camp feels its campaign will gain momentum with an array of national leaders,including Defence Minister A K Antony visiting the constituency in the coming days. UDF managers reject Balakrishnan's claims of nursing this centuries-old town arguing that the area has been stagnating over the decades. The UDF's campaign themes include the LDF government's 'failure' to tackle burning issues such as price rise and poor law and order situation. Makkutty has also raised local issues such as environmental threat to mangroves by a theme park sponsored by CPI-M in nearby Pappinissery and sensational removal of party Kannur district secretary P Sasi for alleged personal misconduct. Another force in the constituency is BJP,which despite always finishing a distant third,has some pockets of influence in the area,often rocked by RSS-CPI-M clashes. The party was the first to announce its candidate V Ratnakaran,who got his campaign started in right earnest.
