Ground report: Once COVID-19 cluster, Poonthura now sets example with US-style interviews for poll candidates

On larger-than-life flex boards and glossy poll posters Shruthimol Xavier, Sheeja Napoleon, Poornima V, Helen Felsus, Julie and Mary Jipsy look vibrant, radiant, pleasant and dignified.

How about voters getting a chance to see through this photoshop-generated shine and catch a glimpse of the inner stuff these candidates are made of. It is such an opportunity that is being offered to the voters in Poonthura, a coastal ward in Thiruvananthapuram corporation where community transmission of Sars-CoV-2 virus was officially declared for the first time in the country.

The youth running Students' Union Library and Recreation Centre, the only library in Poonthura, have done a 'question and answer' session with seven of the 10 candidates in the fray; three are just dummy candidates and so were not invited. Poonthura, this time, is a ward reserved for women candidates.

All the interviews were shot using a single mobile phone inside a cramped library room packed with book-filled wooden racks. The technical side, the shoot and edit, was taken care of by Dickson David, the library's treasurer.

The interviews went live from the morning of December 1, posted on the Library's Facebook page and shared on the WhatsApp group of the Poonthura community. “Almost every house in Poonthura has a smartphone. Except for the old, everyone else here is tuned into social media,” said Miachel Eugine, the secretary of the library. “These interviews will give voters a better idea of their candidates,” he said.

Queen's gambit

The candidates were seated on a black upholstered chair, their back against a wide bookshelf, and right in front of them, on a cloth-covered desk, was a chess board with white and black pieces properly lined up like before the start of a chess match.

The chess board was another way of telling the candidates that the whole idea was to unveil their mind. The candidates are also told during the interview that leading Poonthura was as complicated and tricky as a game of chess.

All the candidates were asked the same set of six questions, and were given a total of 10 minutes to reply.

Not interested in pin-up girls

“The Library has never interfered in politics before,” said Jinu Lazar, the joint secretary of the library. But this time they want the candidates to know that a local body poll is not a “poster design” or a “best poster smile” competition.

“This time the competition looks tough like never before and we thought people in the area should have a better way of assessing their candidates. We want to know how aware our candidates are of the problems facing Poonthura and how they plan to address them,” said Jinu Lazar. “They have the obligation to tell us why they think they should be chosen,” said Miachel Eugine, the secretary.

Initially, the candidates were suspicious about the interview. “They thought we would give prominence to certain candidates,” Miachel said. “We said all of them would be asked the same questions and would be given the same time, irrespective of whether they are candidates of leading political parties or independents. Finally, they agreed,” Miachel said.

Nonetheless, the questions were given only when the candidate reached the library for the interview. “We give them 10-15 minutes to mentally prepare their answers,” Jinu said.

Six deciding questions

The interviews were done over a period of three days. When Onmanorama reached the library, just 50 metres from the Poonthura Church, Jinu Lazar was asking the sixth and the last question to the last of the candidates, BJP's Poornima V. Possibly because the speakers were of rudimentary quality, Jinu had to virtually shout his question though he sat very close to the candidate.

The gist of what he asked was this: “Why should we choose you over the nine other candidates in the fray?”

The BJP candidate knows she does not stand a chance in a Christian-dominated ward. “I will be there for you even if I don't win. But I want to know from you what is it that we are lacking,” she said.

She was asked five other questions. One, have you done any previous social or community work and are you doing anything now. Two, what do you think are the issues faced by the coastal folk in Poonthura. Three, what are your solutions for these. Four, do you fully subscribe to your party's policies, and if you do have differences, what are they and why.

Five, what are the promises you are giving Poonthura, but this should be realistic considering your limits as a councillor. “Though we told them to think like a councillor, many promised things that were beyond their power like bringing a harbour to Poonthura,” Miachel said.

For independents, the fourth question had to be different. For them, it was: “Why are you competing as an independent.”

Questions left unasked

There was scope for disturbing political questions. The UDF has a serious rebel candidate. The ward is now with Peter Solomon, a Kerala Congress (Mani) candidate. When KC(M) split, Solomon aligned with the P J Joseph faction.

But Solomon' choice of a woman candidate for Poonthura met with stiff resistance from within the Joseph group. Not wanting to let infighting scupper UDF's advantage in the ward, Congress took over the seat for itself. Shruthimol Xavier, the youngest of the lot, is the candidate. But Solomon's UDF candidate is also in the fray.

The LDF, too, is in an uncomfortable space. Its candidate Sheeja Napoleon, being from the Janata Dal (United), has not been welcomed enthusiastically by the strong CPM cadre in the area.

Even the most obvious question for the LDF candidate, 'why did the LDF government use force to lock us in during COVID-19', was also left unasked. “We thought we will give all candidates a level-playing field,” Miachel said.