Thrissur: The Thekkinkadu ground in Thrissur – venue of the renowned fireworks display during the ‘pooram’ festival - is all set to witness a fiery conflict between two political heavyweights in the coming days.
While CPM state secretary M V Govindan who is leading a statewide march named ‘Janakeeya pratirodha jatha’ will speak at Thekkinkadu on Saturday, BJP’s former national president and Home Minister of India Amit Shah will address a meeting at the same venue the right next day.
Political observers point out that Shah’s visit to Thrissur immediately after the CPM state secretary’s function reflects the importance given by the BJP to Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, especially with Parliament elections due next year.
Incidentally, even though CPM has 13 MLAs from Thrissur district, the party does not hold a Lok Sabha seat. Moreover, while the CPM-led Left Democratic Front’s (LDF’s) candidate had secured 2.86 lakh votes more than the BJP candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the difference fell to a mere 27,634 votes in 2019. Meanwhile, the Congress candidate who won the Thrissur seat in 2019 collected slightly more votes than the party’s figure in 2014. This data causes anxiety to the CPM and brings much cheer to the BJP, said the observers.
The BJP’s national leadership wants the party to open its Lok Sabha account in Kerala from either Thiruvananthapuram – seat of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple – or Thrissur – where the Vadakkunnathan Temple is located. However, the BJP’s national leadership is aware that the party cannot flaunt a leader from Thrissur having statewide acceptance.
As mentioned by Kerala’s Public Works Minister P A Muhammed Riyas, the CPM feels that a BJP leader of Shah’s stature is arriving in Thrissur fearing the impact of Govindan’s march. Replying to Riyas, BJP’s Kerala unit president K Surendran asked the Minister to fill potholes on the roads in Kerala instead of engaging in speculations.
As a result, the functions planned by the CPM and BJP in Thrissur on coming Saturday and Sunday respectively are expected to be their show of strength. Apart from delivering a speech at Thekkinkadu, Shah would be attending two meetings in Thrissur.
Suresh Gopi ideal candidate
Political observers also said that the BJP has indicted that actor Suresh Gopi would be its candidate from Thrissur in the 2024 elections also, considering the huge number of votes he attracted in the 2019 Parliament elections as well as the 2021 Assembly polls.
Moreover, Suresh Gopi has direct contact with Shah, bypassing the party’s state leadership. Shah’s arrival in Thrissur on Sunday is also expected to launch Suresh Gopi’s campaign in 2024. Already a well-recognised personality, Suresh Gopi has developed wide contacts in Thrissur over the past couple of years. This popularity of Suresh Gopi is what makes the CPM apprehensive about its chances in Thrissur, more than the BJP’s strength.