SMALL PARTIES FACE A BIG CHALLENGE IN KERALA

RMP, AAP are more about putting forth an idea

Leaders of major political formations do not spend much energy on them. If at all they find a mention in the speeches of leaders of the Left Democratic Front or the United Democratic Front constituents, it is only as a passing reference or by way of appropriating some of their campaign planks.

For the smaller political parties such as the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Lok Sabha elections are more about putting forth an idea rather than going for the kill.

Using the general elections as a platform for furthering its political agenda of alliance of ‘real left parties,’ the RMP hopes to espouse the many hopes and aspirations of the commoner and the marginalised and underprivileged sections, which had been neglected by mainstream political parties, including the Left parties, says RMP State secretary N. Venu.

Though they may sound different, says Mr. Venu, political parties such as the Congress, the BJP, and the CPI(M) are pursuing the same political line and are under the influence of neo-liberal policies and corporate groups.

The CPI(M) itself had admitted that a portion of its funds came from corporate groups. The killing of T.P. Chandrasekharan should be viewed as an outcome of the attempt by the CPI(M) to muffle inner party voices against such tendencies, he said.

The RMP hopes to raise the killing of Chandrasekharan as a major issue in the campaign, in the hope of forcing the LDF, particularly the CPI(M), answer some unpleasant questions. The party’s focus is obviously on Vadakara where the political polarisation created by the killing of Chandrasekharan can influence the outcome.

This is the first electoral battle after Chandrasekharan’s brutal killing on May 4, 2012. There is general consensus that Chandrasekharan’s killing may influence, in some ways, the election outcome in the Vadakara, Kannur, and Kozhikode constituencies.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, CPI(M) candidate P. Sathidevi, who had set a record of sorts in 2004 by securing a majority of 1,30,589 votes, was trounced by Congress candidate Mullappally Ramachandran by a margin of 56,186 votes.

Many political observers believe that the RMP factor created a dent in the CPI(M) vote bank which ensured the victory of Mr. Ramachandran. The party, which is contesting nine seats, has also forged alliance with the SUCI and the Marxist Communist Party of India (MCPI) in some constituencies, besides backing some Independent candidates in a few other seats. Its influence beyond Vadakara, Kannur and Kozhikode is likely to be marginal.

The AAP may have an even lesser role to play in the electoral scene of Kerala when compared to the RMP.

0The party has fielded writer Sara Joseph in Thrissur, journalist Anita Pratap in Ernakulam, and former IPS officer Ajith Joy in Thiruvananthapuram.

Whose prospects Ms. Joseph’s candidature in Thrissur would hurt is a question that begs an answer.

The party may succeed in garnering the support of sections of the educated and employed youth in urban centres.

The movement is likely to confine itself to some of the cosmopolitan constituencies such as Ernakulam. Besides those who trust them to deliver, voters disillusioned with the key contestants may also opt for it rather than pressing the ‘None of The Above’ (NOTA) button on the electronic voting machine. Whether that would make the difference is a big question.