Seen eagerly in direct combat with Joseph Gut and Casey (M) at Thodupuzha
Thodupuzha is one of the two constituencies of Idukki where the PJ Joseph faction of the Kerala Congress, a constituent of the United Democratic Front, is in direct combat with the Kerala Congress (M), which is now with the Left Democratic Front. The other one is Idukki constituency in the district.
PJ Joseph is in the fray in Thodupuzha after securing a record difference in the last assembly election. His main rival KI Antony of KC (M) is a novice in the constituency.
Mr. Joseph won from the constituency nine times and in the 2016 elections he was part of the undivided Kerala Congress (M), which was a constituent of the UDF at the time.
After the death of founder-leader KM Mani, KC (M) split with one faction, one led by PJ Joseph and the other by Jose K. Conceded by The latter faction, now legally recognized as KC (M), split from the UDF and is now part of the LDF.
Thodupuzha, a major constituency in Idukki’s low border, keenly monitors how voters will receive two Kerala Congress groups contesting from rival fronts. It is also a prestigious constituency for LDF, which has a large number of farmers.
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Shyamraj is also in the fray.
If the results of the previous Lok Sabha and local body elections are considered, the constituency is inclined towards the UDF.
Thodupuzha is an agricultural area where Mr. Joseph has a pocket of support. However, with Casey (M) in the rival front, things are now unpredictable.
In the 2016 assembly election, Mr. Joseph won from Thodupuzha by a margin of 45,587 votes. The LDF candidate received 30,977 votes. The NDA also secured credit by securing 28,845 votes.
However, in the last Lok Sabha election, UDF had a lead of 37,116 votes in the assembly constituency. LDF got 47,319 and NDA got 15,223 votes. However, in the local body elections last year, the UDF’s lead came down to 6,424 votes.
The LDF is raising hopes on the decreasing margin of the UDF. It is expected that the momentum gained in the local body elections will make it stand up well in the assembly elections.
NDA is also a major factor as it has considerable influence in the constituency, especially in the municipal areas of Thodupuzha.
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