Panchayat elections - dress rehearsal for assembly poll '06

Will it be a Waterloo of chief minister Oommen Chandy? This is the crucial question that Kerala is raising on the eve of another political battle; Panchayat Raj elections. The UDF government had decided to conduct election in the last week of September amidst a lot of incredulity over the conduct of the elections.

Panchayat Raj elections results will have ramifications since it is just after Oommen Chandy's one year term in office as the chief minister and is the 'final dress rehearsal' of the next assembly election in 2006.

Both UDF and LDF are in the arena and have locked horns for a crucial battle. UDF plans to highlight the development initiatives of both A K Antony and Oommen Chandy as chief ministers and LDF is fighting it out with a host of charges like corruption, failure in maintaining law and order and the collapse of rural industries of the state.

Political pandits are giving an edge to LDF in the battle though UDF had already made up its lost credibility in the parliament election to an extend. After the miserable defeat of UDF in the parliamentry elections, the change in leadership both in the Congress as well as administration has instilled the confidence among the workers.

UDF is raising the issue of development and painting LDF, especially CPM as a movement against the development of the state. Smart city, Vallarpadam container terminal project, development of Techno Park and Vizhinjam port and proposal for a new airline are some of the trump cards of UDF.

Development of the state is the main focus of UDF and they believe that this coupled with the fast track programme and the delvelopment initiatives mooted by the President in his recent visit had changed the political situation a lot.

Congress and UDF is gearing up for the elections and visit of Sonia Gandhi in connection with the closing ceremony of 'Chaithanya Yatra' by Ramesh Chennithala, president of pradesh Congress committee will cap the climax its campaign.

But LDF is more confident as the political climate is favourable for them despite the feud in CPM. Prakash Karat, general secretary, CPM had succeeded partially in settling the issues in the Kerala faction of the party for the time being in his recent visit to the state and asked the party workers to gear up for the elections.

LDF is putting up a lot of issues including the debt of the state to the tune of Rs 32,000 crore which is the largest in the country. They had also raised a series of corruption charges against the ministers.

Meanwhile, National Congress [Indira] lead by veteran leader K Karunakaran is trying hard to associate with LDF, but in vain. Though LDF leadership in its recent meeting had taken a decision against the inclusion of NC(I) in LDF, but decided to make an understanding locally in order to defeat UDF.