Historic battle of women in Vaikom

As the storm triggered by the denial of party ticket to a woman Congress leader in Ettumanur continues to engulf the State’s political landscape, Vaikom, its neighbouring constituency, has set the stage for a rare battle between three women candidates.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF), which currently holds the seat, has fielded sitting legislator and Communist Party of India leader C.K. Asha once again. She will be battling it out with P.R. Sona, Congress leader and former chairperson of the Kottayam municipality, and Ajitha Sabu, former president of the Kottayam district panchayat, who has joined the race as a candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). With three women in the fray, the constituency is now set to witness a one of its kind battle in the election history of the State. But despite all candidates being women, issues faced by women do not feature prominently in the poll plank of the three coalitions. Instead, the campaigns primarily revolve around the conventional subjects of development, inland fishery, tourism and farming, among others.