Battle for pride in Kerala assembly by-elections

Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has never lost a by-election while in power and the Congress is defending its long-held seats - the results of the three assembly by-polls this Saturday may not alter the state's power structure but there is plenty of pride at stake.

Elections are being held for the Kannur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha assembly seats after their Congress legislators got elected to the Lok Sabha in the May 2009 general elections.

The outcome will not impact the power equation in the 140-member assembly where the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) led LDF has a comfortable 98 seats and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has only 42.

But it is important nonetheless.

"The mood is the same as was seen in May 2009 Lok Sabha elections. We are sure that all our three candidates will win without any problems," said Congress leader and union Defence Minister A.K. Antony.

"This time we will rewrite the record books and victory is a certainty," said CPI-M's M.V. Jayarajan, a two-time legislator, who is contesting from Kannur. His comrades recall the LDF's record of never having lost a by-election while in power.

It is at Kannur, where the no CPI-M contestant or its ally has won since 1965, that the campaign pitch reached a crescendo.

Jayarajan takes on former party colleague and two-time Kannur Lok Sabha member A.P. Abdulla Kutty, who joined the Congress party after being expelled from the CPI-M ahead of the general elections in May.

District Collector V.K. Balakrishnan was changed by the Election Commission (EC) after the Congress alleged that he was acting as an LDF agent. The war of words between the two rival fronts also saw the EC sending paramilitary forces to ensure free and fair elections.

In Ernakulam, a Congress bastion since 1957 except for two elections, the Congress has fielded former minister Dominic Presentation against the CPI-M's local leader P.N. Seenulal.

Alappuzha has been represented in the assembly by the Communist Party of India (CPI) -- the second biggest constituent of the ruling Left alliance -- six times since 1957.

The CPI has fielded youth leader G. Krishnaprasad against the Congress' district president A.A. Shukur.

The Congress says it is confident because it has won the seat with ease in the last three elections.

Assembly by-polls will be held Saturday for 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 in West Bengal, three in Kerala, two each in Rajasthan, Assam and Himachal Pradesh and one seat in Chhattisgarh.

The votes will be counted Nov 10.

Last updated on Nov 6^th, 2009 at 12:33 pm IST--IANS