The last few days saw the campaign slipping into top gear with big guns of all the three fronts hitting the campaign trail. While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and CPI state secretary, Kanam Rajendran led the LDF campaign, senior Congress leader A K Antony, former chief minister Oommen Chandy and leader of the opposition, Ramesh Chennithala were the star campaigners for the UDF.

While both the UDF and the LDF are exuding optimism about the outcome, the mood in the LDF camp is more upbeat this time. They have every reason to feel good.

First and foremost is the disunity and the resultant disarray in the UDF camp owing to the internecine in fighting which plagued the KC(M) right from word go. The two factions in the party, whose stronghold Pala is, led by Jose K Mani, MP and veteran PJ Joseph, have been fighting like Kilkenny cats. The feud has resulted in the KC(M) unable to fight the polls on its election symbol, Two Leaves. The party candidate, Jose Tom has had to fight as an Independent supported by the UDF!

Needless to say, this has created confusion among the rank and file of the KC(M). The absence of the traditional symbol of two leaves is bound to influence the voting pattern, claims the LDF camp. True, Joseph did campaign for the UDF candidate after expressing his inability to do so in the beginning. But it won’t erase the bitterness created by the factional feud, assert the LDF Campaign managers. They also say there won ‘t be any sympathy wave in favour of the UDF candidate either because of the disgusted caused by the open and ugly bickering between the two factions in the run -up to the campaign. That the UDF leaders had to issue a stern warning to the warring KC (M) leaders to stop their war of words is a telling commentary of the state of affairs in the UDF camp.