The return of the Chief Minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, to the electoral fray has enthused ordinary people who are looking up to him to continue his fight against corruption and mafias. At the same time, the corporate sector was cautious in its reaction though there was general feeling in the last five years that the attitudes of the veteran blocked the flow of investment to Kerala.
In Malampuzha which he represented last time and where he is going to contest again, there is jubilation.
Mr Ramanujan, former president of Akakathethara panchayat which is part of the Malampuzha constituency, says it was a foregone conclusion that he would be the party candidate. “That has now been confirmed by the party leadership but we here had little doubt to start with,” he added.
Mr N.M. Pearson, a political observer, however, felt that the announcement of Mr Achuthanandan’s candidature may not mean a victory for the LDF. It might at the most help in preventing a massive defeat.
“The CPI(M) has again proved that it refuses to learn from mistakes,” he said. “The whole drama over the last few days shows how it has failed to read public pulse.”
But leaders of the business world reacted with caution. “The Chief Minister alone is not to be blamed for the lack of development,” said Mr Nawas Meeran, managing director of leading spice condiment firm Eastern. “It’s the bane of coalition politics in Kerala.”
Mr Pankaj Kapoor, managing director of leading plantation firm Harrison Malayalam, said that for nearly four years there was very little developmental activity. “But things started looking up during last year which is certainly welcome,” he said.
However, Ms Sheila Kochouseph of V-Star says it is necessary to have fresh blood in politics too.