Campaign for Kerala assembly by-poll ends on Thursday

The 39-day campaign for Saturday's by-poll in the Aruvikara assembly constituency reached a crescendo on Thursday, the last day of campaign, with the top leaders of the rival political fronts engaged in a war of words.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters in the constituency said that the Left opposition has nothing new to say and during the entire campaign it has been just repeating what it has been saying on the solar scam and the bar scam.

"The people of the state have rejected both these allegations as there is no evidence to support these allegations...when the results come, the Left opposition candidate will end up in the third place," said Chandy.

The Congress has fielded K.A. Sabarinathan, son of late speaker G. Karthikeyan, who represented this constituency for 24 years before passing away in March this year.

The CPI-M has fielded former speaker and minister M. Vijayakumar, while the BJP has fielded 85-year-old O. Rajagopal.

CPI-M politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan whose behind the curtains activities and poll campaign management drew heavy flak from the Congress, Thursday finally broke his silence and slammed the Chandy government.

"The Chandy government will be given a fitting lesson by the electorate at Aruvikara...," said Vijayan.

State Congress president V.M. Sudheeran told reporters here on Thursday that the days are numbered for Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan.

Incidentally, Chandy has already gone on record that the outcome of the polls would be a referendum on his four years in office and that it would be the same for the Left opposition also.

"They even today are interested in instilling fear in the minds of the people as was evident when early this month an explosion in a 'bomb making unit of the party' in Kannur saw two of their members die and three of their party members getting arrested," Chandy said.

Her added: "We have gone to the people of Aruvikara with our agenda of 'development and care' and we will win the poll."