Poll pundits say it could be a contest too close to call

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A total of 971 candidates will cross swords in Kerala as the state votes on April 13 to choose its next government amid "predictions" that it could be a photo finish.
The maximum contestants are in Thiruvananthauram district, 109, followed by 76 in Kollam. The least number of candidates are in Wayand in the north. There are only 17 hopefuls in the predominantly tribal district.
While the Left Democratic Front is aiming at a comeback riding on V S Achuthanandan’s appeal, the Congress-led United Democratic Front is leaving no stone unturned to puncture the "clean" image of the CPM’s star campaigner.Not far behind is the BJP, which has placed its bets on the people’s disenchantment with both Fronts and wants to emerge as
a credible alternative.
As the poll heat climbs, all parties have lined up national leaders for the campaign. Sonia Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj, Rahul Gandhi, Nitin Gadkari, Narendra Modi and Prakash Karat will criss-cross the state.
Observers foresee a close finish this time unlike previous years when the rule has been that the opposition formation is elected in the 140-member assembly.
"It is possible, but not certain. In the last two elections, the difference was getting larger with the winning side walking away with 100 seats or more. But this time, the elections have been vitiated by allegations and counter-allegations and it does not look like an easy walkover for any party. To what extent this cacophony has affected voters is a matter of conjecture now," political commentator B R P Bhaskar says.
Notwithstanding the reversals in the last Lok Sabha and panchayat polls, the CPM and Left alliance feel it has managed to regain much of its lost space following the sex scandal allegations against UDF ally Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikutty and the conviction and sentencing of another alliance leader R Balakrishna Pillai for graft by the Supreme Court.
For the UDF, the "defection" of CPM’s popular face Sindhu Joy to Congress has come as a booster. The party is trying to make the allegations of sexual misdemeanor against CPM leader P Sasi a campaign issue. But charges levelled by its own leader K K Ramachandran Master that some seats in the Congress were sold have come as a dampener.
The BJP, which is striving to open its account, has reason to cheer as it managed to win over CPM-backed independent MLA and former IAS officer Alphonse J Kannanthanam. The fear that the winner’s lead could be marginal would dissuade either Front from cross-voting, something which they used to do in the past, to defeat BJP as every seat will count in the post-poll scenario.