At ground zero of Wayanad disaster, UDF make big gains

Kozhikode: LDF's high-profile campaign projecting Wayanad landslide rehabilitation and township project as a flagship achievement has failed to resonate with survivors, with voters in Mundakkai and Chooralmala backing UDF in the assembly elections. Defying an aggressive CPM campaign centred on rehabilitation efforts, UDF candidate and Kalpetta MLA T Siddique secured a clear lead even in the worst-affected areas. He polled leads of 239 votes in Chooralmala and 289 in Mundakkai, both wards that had supported LDF in the recent local body polls. Siddique also extended the advantage to nearby Attamala with a margin of 327 votes. With 97,379 votes, Siddique was re-elected from Kalpetta with a record majority of 45,031 votes against LDF's P K Anilkumar who managed 52,348 votes. LDF had highlighted the completion of 178 houses in the first phase and the inauguration of the township's initial phase on March 1 as key achievements, making them central to its campaign. It also targeted Congress over delays in launching its promised housing project. Siddique had even faced heckling, allegedly by CPM supporters, during the first-phase inauguration of the township. Reacting to the mandate, Siddique said the verdict carried multiple implications. He said that there were many unresolved concerns of disaster survivors. "Several issues remain, including finalizing the beneficiary list, addressing complaints over loan waivers and resolving problems related to agricultural land in affected areas. These will be taken up on priority," he said. Despite the formal inauguration of the township's first phase, survivors are yet to move into the completed houses. UDF had questioned the lapses in the rehabilitation of the victims, including delays in completion of the works of the houses in the inaugurated phase of the township and alleging that several affected families have been left out of rehabilitation efforts.