Pathanamthitta to witness fierce triangle battle

Pathanamthitta is all set to witness a triangle fight among Congress’s incumbent MP Anto Antony, CPM state committee member and former Finance minister Thomas Isaac and BJP’s new face Anil Antony. 

Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency, comprising five assembly constituencies from the district and two from Kottayam, has voted UDF to power for three consecutive terms since its formation. 

Sitting MP Anto Antony, who bagged a hattrick, has been named again by the UDF, while the LDF has fielded its senior leader T M Thomas Isaac to rewrite the history of the constituency. Anil Antony entered the picture only on the final lap, as the name of Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) leader P C George was doing the rounds ever since his party had dissolved into the BJP. 

Although in 2019, UDF had the upper hand in six assembly constituencies, and LDF had in only one, in the 2021 Assembly elections, the LDF swept all the seven seats. However, the UDF is confident that Pathanamthitta which never let it down will continue to vote it in. The NDA in the constituency has also improved its vote share each time. From 2014 to 2019, the NDA vote share here became more than double.

The Christian minorities have substantial influence over the constituency. A shift in the Christian votes was seen from the UDF fold to the LDF side in 2021. The BJP is also in an effort to woo the Christian community. In the 2019 general elections, the hot topics in Pathanamthitta included the controversial entry of women in Sabarimala. It is expected of the opponents to take up political issues this time.

All the three alliances have already completed three rounds of campaign much before the announcement of the elections. It was Pathanamthitta where the Prime Minister reached first after the announcement of the candidates. Barring the initial objections to the candidature of Anil Antony, now the NDA camp is also all geared up for the upcoming elections.

The main issues expected to be addressed by the Lok Sabha poll candidates are issues regarding development, wild animal attacks, rubber sector, migration, basic amenities at Sabarimala etc. Both the UDF and the NDA are raising the hardships which the Sabarimala pilgrims faced last season, whereas the LDF is holding the Centre and the MP responsible for the same.