Son vs mother & couple challenge: Potpourri of surprises in Kerala local body polls

Reshma Mariam Roy, the CPM candidate from Oottupara ward in Aruvappulam panchayat in Konni (Pathanamthitta district), is eagerly waiting for her birthday on November 18.

Reshma will turn 21, the eligible age for contesting the election, only on November 18. She will rush to the returning officer's chamber on November 19, the last date for filing nominations for the local body elections.

LDF fielded Reshma, a district committee member of both Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), against the Congress-led United Democratic Front's Sujatha Mohan. Ottumpura is in the 11th ward in the gram panchayat. UDF had won the seat in 2015.

Reshma, who completed her BBA and is waiting to join LLB, is confident about her win. “I was sceptical whether I would attain the eligible age till the election dates were announced,” Reshma said.

Reshma hails from a family of Congress supporters. “My father, mother, brother and grandmother are Congress supporters,” said Reshma, who became an SFI member during her college days.

Son vs mother

Panachavila ward in Edamulackal panchayat (Kollam district) is witnessing a rare competition between a mother and a son.

Here, BJP’s Sudharma Devarajan is taking on her son Dinuraj D S of CPM. The contest is likely to go down the wire, but both candidates maintain that it will be a healthy competition.

Having finished runner-up to CPM in the same ward in 2015, Sudharma was confident of a victory this time. BJP announced her candidature well in advance, but the CPM master-stroke caught her unawares.

“The LDF decision to field my son against me came as a huge surprise,” she confessed.

She said the fight would give her a lot of tension and problems. “I would not use harsh criticisms against my son during the campaign,” she said.

Dinuraj said he is opposed to only his mother’s political ideology. “I am taking this as a healthy competition. While my mother and father are pro-BJP, my sister and I are active DYFI members,” he said.

Sudharma said they never had any bitter political fight at home. “I would often taunt him asking what ‘his government’ was doing. Whenever a discussion escalated, my husband would intervene,” she said.

While Dinuraj is hopeful of retaining the LDF sitting seat, Sudharma believes that she has a fair chance to win.

Sure win for Nisha

You don’t need to be a psephologist to predict the result of Kadaladimattam ward of Poonjar Thekkekara panchayat (Kottayam district).

Whatever happens, Nisha will win the seat for sure. For, LDF has fielded Nisha Sanu, UDF is pinning its hopes on Nisha Shaji while NDA eyes a win with Nisha Vijimon. The fight of the namesakes in the 12th ward have already raised many eyebrows.

LDF’s Nisha is a teacher by profession. She said names would not create confusion as people know each other very well. She is confident of retaining the seat.

UDF’s Nisha Shaji is also a teacher and is hopeful to win votes over various issues faced by the local people such as roads and drinking water. NDA’s Nisha feels that the schemes of the union government will fetch her votes.

Couple challenge

Twenty-nine-year-old A Muhammad Afsal and 23-year-old P P Shabnam married around nine months ago.

Now, both of them are busy seeking votes as CPM candidates in this local body elections.

While Afsal is contesting from Kathiroor division of Kannur district panchayat, Shabnam will fight from 16th ward of Panoor municipality, her hometown.

Both the debut candidates said they merely followed the party's decision. While Afsal is contesting from LDF’s sitting seat, Shabnam’s task is to wrest the ward from UDF. “Shabnam has a history of winning as an SFI candidate from an MSF stronghold,” said Afsal. The couple said that they haven’t had a talk on how busy their lives might be, if both are elected.

(Jisha Surya is an independent journalist based in Thiruvananthapuram. To read her previous works for Onmanorama, click here)