Sunday is usually the busiest day in an otherwise calm, quiet and sultry Puthuppally, a small hill town in the Kottayam district of Kerala.
In Puthuppally, they say every road leads to Oommen Chandy. The Chief Minister of Kerala and the most prominent face of United Democratic Front in the state, Mr Chandy has seen 10 consecutive wins from the place.
Born and brought up in Puthuppally, Chandy’s political ‘love affair’ with the place began 46 years ago when the 27-year-old student leader defeated CPI(M)’s veteran leader EM George. Mr Chandy has never lost an election in Puthuppally ever since.
If Mr Chandy is in Kerala he makes sure he spends his Sunday at Puthuppally. His day starts with a visit to the church and then long hours of public meetings. Anybody can enter the CM’s house and meet him.Biju, Chandy’s Personal Assistant
You would rarely find a person in Puthupally who has not met the CM or been helped by him for a job, a medical urgency, an education loan or even legal issues.
A few kilometres away from Manarcad is the hometown of Jaick C Thomas the 26-year-old student leader who is an LDF candidate and Mr Chandy’s political rival in the current election.
Suzane, a chemist shop owner in the area, smiles at the mere mention of Mr Chandy’s prospects of winning.
Corruption allegations or anything else cannot stop Oommen Chandy from winning from this place. He has always cared for us. My father passed away when my brother and I were still studying. My mother met him for my brother’s job and he helped us within a week. This shop was also inaugurated by him. You ask anybody they will tell you the same.
Chandy’s association with the people of his constituency is anything but political.
Even a small shop in Puthuppally is inaugurated by Oommen Chandy. If there has been a wedding or a prominent ceremony during the week, the CM ensures he attends the family on his weekly visit on a Sunday. That is the kind of access he has given to people here.Puthuppally Resident
But not everybody in the small town is happy and content with the close access to the Chief Minister.
A local shop owner in Puthuppally says on the condition of anonymity:
A simple drive down the road to other constituencies will tell you what is wrong with Puthuppally. The nearest police station is 8 kilometres away. There is no big hospital except a health centre. Water is a huge issue for us in the summers. For higher education or jobs the youth from the area rush to Kochi or Kottayam. Even after 46 years of later his election posters say, ‘This place needs development so UDF needs to come back.’
So, seemingly unaffected by the winds of change and anti-incumbency, will Puthuppally offer a victory to Oommen Chandy an eleventh consecutive time?
He is likely to win but what matters is the vote margin. This young boy from LDF has huge support from youth. For them opportunities weigh more than personal relations. Jaick is expected to dent his vote margin. He may not win against the CM but if Oommen Chandy’s son Chandy Oommen was to contest from Puthuppally, things may not be the same.Ajish, Pampady Resident
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