Central Kerala is witnessing some exciting political contests as electioneering has entered the final phase in the State.
Stakes are high for political parties as well as candidates in the fray in the seven Lok Sabha constituencies falling under the central Kerala region. Issues ranging from alleged instances of ‘love jihad’ and the screening of controversial movie, The Kerala Story, on Doordarshan and later for catechism students by the Idukki diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church to human-wildlife conflicts and anti-incumbency factor have dominated the electioneering scene in the run-up to the polls.
Even while drawing all-round political criticism, the screening of The Kerala Story exposed deep division on the sensitive issue of alleged conversions through love marriages among various Christian denominations. Apart from political parties such as the Congress and the CPI (M), Latin Catholic and Marthoma churches too vociferously slammed the movie screening as they apprehended that such acts would destroy the social fabric of the State, besides endangering its secular credentials. The timing of the movie screening also came under fire. However, the Sangh Parivar affiliates were quick to support the Syro-Malabar Church and asserted that the movie reflected the current situation in Kerala. The Lok Sabha seats in central Kerala hold a special place for Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner, as their candidates are in the fray in Kottayam, Idukki, Mavelikara and Chalakudy constituencies.
