Rehab rows spark heated poll fight in Kalpetta

The assembly election in Kalpetta is unfolding under the shadow of Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide that claimed 298 lives and nearly wiped out the villages 20 months ago. Once framed as a testament to Kerala's unity, rehabilitation has become a bitter political issue in the poll campaign. Congress MLA T Siddique is contesting against RJD's PK Anil Kumar and BJP district president Prashanth Malavayal.The road to the under-construction township is lined with billboards of CM Pinarayi Vijayan with the caption ‘Who else but LDF can honour the word given to landslide survivors'. Though 178 houses at the township were inaugurated under phase-I on Mar 1 just before elections, the site still looks like a construction zone, with roads, power and sewage far from complete.For survivors like Mariyama and Madaswamy (71) from Chooralmala, the wait continues. Now living in temporary quarters at Munderi, they visit their allotted house each week to check progress. "This is our third visit after inauguration; electrical and plumbing works are left. We are happy to have the plot and house documents, but we just want to move in before the rains begin," said Madaswamy.Rehabilitation projects announced by Congress, IUML and others have become both symbols of hope and points of conflict. LDF presents the township as proof of delivery and criticizes Congress for failing to build homes. UDF calls it hurried optics, pointing to incomplete works and exclusions from the beneficiary list.Shaijal Kaippa, a resident of Thurki and an RJD sympathizer, calls the township a showpiece achievement of LDF govt. "Keeping this promise could be decisive. Congress has not even begun its housing project. That will hurt them electorally. UDF shows Siddique as the leading light of the rescue operation. The biggest blunder of Congress was moving ahead with a separate housing project that has not started. It should have given the money to the govt's fund," he said.Others see it differently. K Vasu, a lottery seller from Chenamala colony, moved his business to the township site, where hundreds arrive daily to witness the project. "People come in large numbers, but what is the point of an inauguration if families can't move in?" he asked, adding that Siddique led rescue efforts when the disaster hit.Mundakkai native Muthan and his wife Jayanna, who stay at a temporary accommodation at Karapuzha, are not part of the rehabilitation plan. "My wife worked at Harrisons Malayalam estate and our padi was damaged in the disaster. We were not named in govt's rehab list. Her livelihood is hit as she can't travel 35km to work. Many others, including those of Padavettikunnu, face the same exclusion," he said.This tension between perception and delivery frames the poll battle in a constituency that traditionally leans towards UDF, though Siddique won it in 2021 with a margin of over 4,000 votes despite a statewide LDF wave.UDF is confident after recent local body polls. Though LDF captured Kalpetta municipality, Muttil and Muppainad panchayats, UDF won 8 of the 10 panchayats. Of the 173 grama panchayat wards, UDF (including independents) won 107, LDF 61, and NDA three.UDF's campaign focuses on Siddique's record, especially during the landslide. Campaign material features MP Priyanka Gandhi alongside him. UDF also highlights issues like poor infrastructure at Wayanad medical college, ghat road travel hardships and rising man-animal conflicts. LDF counters with a governance narrative. It highlights rehab steps and attacks Congress for delays in its housing project.NDA remains a peripheral but vocal player, framing the contest as a rejection of both fronts while invoking PM Narendra Modi's development agenda. As polling day nears, Kalpetta shows an electoral landscape where grief, rehabilitation and political narratives intersect.