Twenty20 to Contest Poothrikka Bypoll Solo, Plays Down NDA Ties
Twenty20 fields Deenamma Jacob in the Kolencherry East ward bypoll, contesting under its own banner even as it plays down its NDA ties with the BJP.
The bypoll to the Kolencherry East ward of Poothrikka panchayat in Ernakulam district has become a focal point of political speculation, after Twenty20 decided to contest under its own banner rather than that of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance it recently joined.
Twenty20 has fielded Deenamma Jacob in the ward. She faces Saramma Paili Pilla of the UDF and Neethu Joyd of the LDF.
The bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Twenty20's Pooja Jomon, who stepped down as both panchayat president and ward member in protest against her party's decision to enter the NDA ahead of the Assembly elections. Her exit handed the UDF control of the panchayat, as she had been elected president through a draw of lots after Twenty20 and the UDF were tied at seven seats each in the 16-member body, with the LDF holding two.
Twenty20 chief Sabu M. Jacob described the decision to contest separately as unremarkable, noting that the ward was held by the party and that it joined the NDA only after the local body polls. He said the party still has six elected members in the panchayat and that the move was taken in consultation with the BJP leadership. The campaign, he added, would centre on the alleged horse trading that led to the bypoll.
BJP Ernakulam East district president P.P. Sajeev called the arrangement a pragmatic approach aimed at securing a win, and said BJP workers in the ward are active on Twenty20's campaign front. The BJP, which has limited influence in the region, had not fielded a candidate in the ward during last year's local body polls either.
In that contest, the Twenty20 candidate polled 303 votes and won by a margin of 49 votes against the Congress, while the CPI(M) finished a distant third with 125 votes.