The Left Democratic Front candidate in Balussery and the United Democratic Front candidate in Kozhikode North were batchmates in the Government Arts & Science College Kozhikode at Meenchanda up to 2014. CPM’s KM Sachin Dev and Congress’s KM Abhijit served in the same students’ union as chairman and university union councillor. Abhijit went on to become the chairman of the students’ union of Calicut University.
Abhijit is currently the state president of the KSU and Sachin Dev the state secretary of the SFI. Both of them are rookie candidates and the youngest candidates in their respective alliances.
Sachin Dev, who hails from Nellikode in Kozhikode city, has been living in a party comrade’s house in Balussery since the campaign started. He starts his campaign at 6 am and returns to his host’s house by 9 pm, accepting invitations to dine with comrades amid the tour of the constituency. Even after the visible campaign, he continues with brainstorming sessions with his co-workers in the CPM and the SFI.
Abhijit has also moved into a rented house in the city for campaigning. He is from Atholi in Kozhikode. He has converted his half-hour morning walk to a vote-seeking exercise. He goes to a mess near his rented house to have his fill of breakfast. He has a long day ahead. He goes to sleep around 2 am after a tour of the constituency and visits to the election committee offices.
Abhijit and Sachin worked together in the NSS camps in the college. Both of them aver by their deep friendship. They do call up each other but too busy to do that since the campaign started. Abhijit is a voter in Balussery, where Sachin is the candidate. Sachin, however, has his vote in the Kozhikode South constituency. Abhijit is seeking to represent the neighbouring Kozhikode North.
