Categorical Information Service
KOCHI: “We’re ready for the day when Haripad will get a chief minister,” Abdul Khader, who’s in his 70s, tells TNIE whereas waving on the motorcade of Opposition chief and UDF candidate Ramesh Chennithala, which made its strategy to predominantly Muslim space of Thulamparambu within the Haripad constituency after the rousing reception on the Sree Subramanya Swamy temple.
Over to the Haripad MLA’s home. Two undated black-and-white medium-sized pictures adorn the partitions throughout a desk of the sitting-cum-office room. In certainly one of them, a younger Ramesh Chennithala is seen within the firm of Indira Gandhi and Ok Karunakaran. Within the second, which is positioned barely above the primary, a jovial Chennithala is seen explaining one thing to Rajiv Gandhi.
On the UDF workplace in Haripad, there’s a sense of objective. Social gathering employees are making the ultimate preparations for Chennithala’s schedule for the day. G Mohandas, who was extra private secretary to Chennithala when he was the house minister, is issuing meals and gasoline coupons to employees.
At 8.00 am, Chennithala held a presser on the UDF workplace, located in Haripad city, about 1.5 km from the MLA’s home. He continued his tirade in opposition to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF authorities on the facility buy settlement with the Adani Group. This was the second consecutive day on which he attacked the federal government over the take care of Adani.
It’s 10.30 am. Two native Congressmen flip via the pages of newspapers as if to kill time. The MLA’s home is in any other case empty. Chennithala, the MLA from Haripad, is away in Tiruvalla to marketing campaign for Kunjukoshy Paul of Kerala Congress(Joseph), a UDF ally.
In the meantime, Chennithala is predicted to return from Tiruvalla at 11.30 am for one last lap of Haripad, starting his campaigning for the day from Haripad Sree Subramanya Swamy temple. He is contesting from Haripad for a fifth time, and this time his supporters count on nothing lower than a victory margin of 25,000 votes. In 2016, his margin of victory was 18,621.
Waving at his supporters, Chennithala arrives in an open jeep alongside together with his motorcade round 12:45 pm. He is instantly surrounded by ready supporters, however the very first thing on the agenda is to hunt the blessings of Karthikeya, the presiding deity. There is not any tiredness or weariness in Chennithala.
Speaking to TNIE, in between accepting shawls from supporters and readily posing for selfies, Chennithala says he is assured of the UDF scoring a cushty victory. He says campaigning by each Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi has lifted the spirits of employees.
“All the LDF-Pinarayi Vijayan marketing campaign is propped up by a 24-hour PR equipment. This can disintegrate, as soon as the election outcomes are out. The individuals of Kerala want a change. They’ve made up their minds,” he says.
Chennithala has to attend round 23 extra official receptions in Haripad, and that is his last day of campaigning on his dwelling turf. On Sunday, he might be off to Idukki, one other key district for the UDF. “Am I speaking to the following Chief Minister of Kerala?” I ask. “The excessive command will resolve the chief minister,” he says.
The ‘Excessive Command will resolve’ is the official place of any aspiring chief minister within the Congress. However, Chennithala is aware of that there is one other greater battle he has to win as soon as the UDF secures a majority. However for now, the job at hand is to cross the primary hurdle.
The Opposition chief follows a strict routine, which might clarify his youthfulness. He will get up at 5.30 am and goes via newspapers. After a 15-minute yoga session, he’s prepared for the day’s actions. John Thomas, who’s dealing with his affairs within the Haripad constituency, says Chennithala has been a pure
vegetarian. However now, he eats fish on the recommendation of medical doctors to strengthen muscle tissue.
For Chennithala, this meeting election is a do-or-die affair. There are simply two extra days left for polling day. All of the arduous work and toil he had put in over the past 5 years as Opposition chief, might be lastly examined because the state goes to the polls on Tuesday.
“Why solely Nemom, I am contesting from all of the 140 seats,” he had stated when there was a requirement for him to contest from the one seat gained by the BJP within the 2016 elections.
The assertion merely tells what’s at stake for this 65-year-old. The final 5 years haven’t been simple for Chennithala, An unfriendly press, an impression fastidiously created by his detractors that he is somebody ever-ready to shift loyalties to Sangh Parivar/BJP, or that he’s a weak Opposition chief, who isn’t any
match for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
However there is not any denying the truth that Chennithala has been in a position to put the LDF authorities on the defensive on a number of fronts. After he put out the complete record of over 4 lakh double and bogus voters on the net, the Election Fee on Friday hurriedly put out a set of measures to forestall a number of/bogus voting.
Chennithala holds the file for the youngest minister within the state’s historical past when he was made the agricultural growth minister within the 1986 Karunakaran ministry– a file which stands even 35 years on.
Since returning to state politics as KPCC president in 2005, it is no secret that Chennithala has been harbouring an ambition to grow to be the chief minister at some point. That point is now.
