LDF comes under 'veiled' attack in Thrithala

Kochi: IUML and Congress party activists in Thrithala in Palakkad district of Kerala have embarked on a whispering campaign against LDF's Subaida Ishaq for not wearing the hijab, it is alleged.
The campaign against Subaida is being carried out during casual talks with women voters and one-on-ones in Muslim-majority panchayats and areas.
Muslim voters constitute nearly 40 percent of the total 1.65 lakh electorate in Thrithala, where V T Balram of the Congress is seeking another term.
The UDF denied the allegation, saying the CPM deliberately sparked the controversy to draw mileage out of it.
“Subaida Ishaq is a popular political figure in the district. The whispering campaign began soon after her candidature was announced,“ T K Narayanadas, CPM district secretariat member and Palakkad district panchayat vice-president, said on Tuesday.
He termed the whispering campaign cheap and unprofessional, but added that the “voters know Subaida for her contribution to developmental projects.“ Traditionally a CPM stronghold since the 1990s, Balram of Rahul Gandhi's youth brigade, wrested the segment from the Left by defeating P Mammikkutty with a margin of 3,197 votes in 2011.
“CPM alleged that Balram won the previous poll with the support of BJP. However, there was a campaign that Mammikkutty was an atheist, and to a certain extent, it worked among the conservative families. Religion and adherence to it are becoming more important in Thrithala's electoral politics,“ political observers in the constituency said.
Congress sources, meanwhile, said that the candidature of Subaida was unexpected.
“Over the past five years, V T (Balram) has created an image of a soft-spoken man, advocating development. Subaida too has similar qualities. V T is well accepted among believers. Now that's where we want to have an upper hand over Subaida,“ a local Congress leader said.
UDF's Thrithala election committee convenor, however, differed. “Thattam (hijab) is not - and will never be - our campaign tool. Wearing 'thattam' or not is purely a personal choice. There are families who uphold religious values and there are people who do not. We would love to discuss serious political issues," P A Salam Master said.
On many UDF supporters promoting the 'thattam' issue on social media, Salam Master said they were personal opinions and not that of the Front.
Thrithala is witnessing a tough competition between Balram and Subaida, while the BJP, ­which has a reported vote base of over 10,000 ­may decide their fate.