AK Balan’s absence an advantage for UDF in Tarur

PALAKKAD: Tarur, the birth place of late Carnatic music exponent Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, freedom fighter and writer K P Keshava Menon and renowned birdwatcher Induchudan, is witnessing an all out fight by UDF candidate K S Sheeba to capture the LDF citadel in the absence of CPM minister A K Balan this .
Since its inception, Tarur has been A K Balan’s bastion.He had won assembly elections with a huge margin in 2011 and 2016. He had won the seat twice earlier when it was known as Kuzhalmannam. However, Balan had to abdicate the seat due to the two-term sealing imposed by CPM to contest election. Meanwhile, the alleged attempts to make his wife Dr Jamila the LDF candidate had unleashed a major controversy within the party and in the political circles.
LDF candidate and district president of DYFI P P Sumode said he is banking on development schemes brought by minister Balan over the past 10 years.
UDF candidate K A Sheeba of Congress who unsuccessfully contested from Alathur Lok Sabha seat in 2014 said the front is hopeful that it would win the seat this time as UDF’s Ramya Haridas had won the previous Lok Sabha election with a huge margin of 24,839 votes. However, UDF had lost six out of eight grama panchayats in the recently-concluded local body election.
The front also had some issues with Congress veteran and former district Congress committee president A K Gopinath, who was also Peringottukurissi grama panchayat president for 25 years, when he revolted against the party. But with the intervention of senior leaders, including Oommen Chandy, the issue has been resolved for time being.
Meanwhile, NDA candidate K P Prakash, a local resident, is leaving no stone unturned to catch up with his rivals. BJP had received 15,493 votes in the 2016 assembly election in the constituency. Prakash’s campaigns are focused on development schemes of the central government.