<p class="title">With Kerala heading for an assembly by-poll at Pala in Kottayam, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is yet again using the Sabarimala issue to attack the CPM-led Left Front government in Kerala.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Left Front is putting up resistance by raising corruption by the previous Congress-led government in Kerala, highlighting the ongoing row over corruption in a Kochi flyover constructed during their term.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Pala by-poll, scheduled for September 23, assumes significance for a couple of reasons.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kerala Congress (M) founder K M Mani had been the MLA of the Pala constituency for 54 years in a row, till his death in April this year. Owing to an in-fight in the KC (M) over the party chairman post between Mani's son and Rajya Sabha MP Jose K Mani and veteran leader P J Joseph, the latter has been inactive in the ongoing by-poll campaign as the chosen UDF candidate Jose Tom Pulikunnel's name was put forth by the Jose K Mani camp of the KC (M).</p>.<p class="bodytext">The CPM is considering it as a golden opportunity to win the seat and a very confident Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan even said that the by-poll could be considered as an evaluation of his government's performance. For the Left Front, a victory in the by-poll could also lessen the damage it suffered in the Lok Sabha polls as it won only one seat in Kerala.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With the constituency having a sizable chunk of Hindu Nair community voters, the Congress camps are using the Sabarimala women entry issue in their campaign. Congress senior leader and former Defence Minister A K Antony, while speaking at a campaign meeting in Pala, challenged the Left Front government to make clear their stand on Sabarimala women entry issue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to a section of voters in the constituency, it would be a tight fight this time.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though the Pala constituency was so far considered as pro-Kerala Congress (M) seat, the Left Front's candidate, Mani C Kappan of the NCP, gave a good fight to K M Mani over the last three polls. In the last Assembly polls, K M Mani's margin was only around 4,703. Hence there is a sympathy wave in favour of Mani C Kappan.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though there is strong anti-incumbency factor against the Left Front now, the in-fight in KC(M) could be an advantage to the Left Front candidate.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The BJP has fielded its Kottayam district President N Hari at Pala for the second consecutive time. He had secured about 17 percent votes in 2016.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP's vote share in the constituency increased, while that of Left Front declined.</p>
<p class="title">With Kerala heading for an assembly by-poll at Pala in Kottayam, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is yet again using the Sabarimala issue to attack the CPM-led Left Front government in Kerala.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Left Front is putting up resistance by raising corruption by the previous Congress-led government in Kerala, highlighting the ongoing row over corruption in a Kochi flyover constructed during their term.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Pala by-poll, scheduled for September 23, assumes significance for a couple of reasons.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kerala Congress (M) founder K M Mani had been the MLA of the Pala constituency for 54 years in a row, till his death in April this year. Owing to an in-fight in the KC (M) over the party chairman post between Mani's son and Rajya Sabha MP Jose K Mani and veteran leader P J Joseph, the latter has been inactive in the ongoing by-poll campaign as the chosen UDF candidate Jose Tom Pulikunnel's name was put forth by the Jose K Mani camp of the KC (M).</p>.<p class="bodytext">The CPM is considering it as a golden opportunity to win the seat and a very confident Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan even said that the by-poll could be considered as an evaluation of his government's performance. For the Left Front, a victory in the by-poll could also lessen the damage it suffered in the Lok Sabha polls as it won only one seat in Kerala.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With the constituency having a sizable chunk of Hindu Nair community voters, the Congress camps are using the Sabarimala women entry issue in their campaign. Congress senior leader and former Defence Minister A K Antony, while speaking at a campaign meeting in Pala, challenged the Left Front government to make clear their stand on Sabarimala women entry issue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to a section of voters in the constituency, it would be a tight fight this time.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though the Pala constituency was so far considered as pro-Kerala Congress (M) seat, the Left Front's candidate, Mani C Kappan of the NCP, gave a good fight to K M Mani over the last three polls. In the last Assembly polls, K M Mani's margin was only around 4,703. Hence there is a sympathy wave in favour of Mani C Kappan.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though there is strong anti-incumbency factor against the Left Front now, the in-fight in KC(M) could be an advantage to the Left Front candidate.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The BJP has fielded its Kottayam district President N Hari at Pala for the second consecutive time. He had secured about 17 percent votes in 2016.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP's vote share in the constituency increased, while that of Left Front declined.</p>