Alappuzha: The Mavelikkara Legislative Assembly constituency in the Alappuzha district is witnessing an odd political battle. The candidates of the three major fronts for next months state polls share a common political background.
Though now under three different banners, the trio had taken lessons in electoral politics from the CPM.
The LDF candidate M S Arunkumar, and UDF’s K K Shaju and NDA’s candidate K Sanju Arunkumar were members of CPM's student and youth wings, the SFI and DYFI in the past.
(SFI is the Students' Federation of India and DYFI is the Democratic Youth Federation of India.)
Arunkumar is now a member of the DYFI's state committee.
Shaju, the United Democratic Front candidate, had held several positions, including those of the DYFI unit secretary and district president. He quit the CPM protesting the party’s ouster of K R Gowriamma in the early 1990s, and joined the Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy (JSS) formed by her in 1994. He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly twice as a JSS candidate. He joined the Congress before the previous Assembly polls.
Sanju, the BJP candidate, was a member of the DYFI district committee and Chunakkara local committee of the CPM.
He was elected to the Bharanikavu Block Panchayat on a CPM ticket, and had an unsuccessful run to the Chunakkara Panchayat in the local body polls.
Interestingly, the CPM came to know of Sanju quitting the party only when the BJP had announced him as its candidate in Mavelikkara.
