1 week ago
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An unusually long election campaign stretching over 40 days in hot and humid conditions can be tiring for candidates as well party workers. But, none of that tiredness was visible on Wednesday as the three major political fronts in Thiruvananthapuram turned the “Kottikalasam”, the culmination of the campaigning, into a virtual celebration with the parties attempting to outdo each other in pomp and loudness quotient.
Cranes seemed to be much in demand on the concluding day across Kerala for candidates to raise themselves above the crowd of party workers and have a bird’s eye view of the celebrations. At Peroorkada Junction, the major centre of Kottikalasam action in the city, United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate and three-time MP Shashi Tharoor was the first to perch atop a crane and greet the workers. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar soon went up on another crane, almost starting a competition as to who would get maximum elevation. True to the thrust of his campaign, Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Pannian Raveendran chose to stand on the soil than fly high up.
Specific areas
Anticipating tension between the party workers, the police had demarcated specific areas for celebrations for each party. A few police personnel were posted in the space between the parties. However, the Kottikalasam events in the city were of a friendly nature and largely peaceful. Workers of various fronts used colour bursts and laser lights in a campaign culmination marked by its vibrancy.
At the Attingal junction, the major centre of Kottikalasam in the Attingal constituency, LDF candidate V. Joy, UDF candidate Adoor Prakash, and BJP candidate V. Muraleedharan came together with their respective party workers for the celebrations. Though the celebrations at Attingal too were generally peaceful, a few minor skirmishes were reported.
Other spots
In addition to Peroorkada and Attingal, campaign celebrations were also concentrated in Thirumala, Vattiyurkavu, East Fort, Vizhinjam, Pappanamcode, Sreekaryam, Kazhakuttam, Kalliyur, Beemapally-Poonthura, Neyyattinkara Town, Kilimanoor, Vithura, Varkala Maidanam, Parassala, Udiyankulangara, Venjaramoodu, Vellarada Junction, and Kattakada Junction.
