The extension of the Right Bank Canal (RBC) of the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) to the water-scarce border villages of Eruthempathy, Vadakarapathy, and Kozhinjampara emerging as key electoral issue in Chittur Assembly constituency, both the LDF and the UDF have started attempts to woo Church-backed Right Bank Canal Vilippunarvu Kulu (RBC Awareness Committee) that influenced 10,600 voters in Chittur taluk to opt for NOTA (None of the Above) in the last Lok Sabha election in Alathur constituency.
It was the support extended by the committee that helped the LDF to sweep most panchayats in the region in the last local body elections. However, the committee is yet to involve fully in the campaign for LDF candidate and Janata Dal (Secular) leader K. Krishnankutty. The committee that vowed to defeat UDF candidate K. Achuthan by alleging that he had torpedoed the extension move because of selfish interests has huge reservations with Mr. Krishnakutty as well. The committee was demanding a CPI(M) candidate in the constituency.
It was the CPI(M) that declared its open support to the committee and its efforts to get the extension materialised. Finding that the committee was not much comfortable with Mr. Krishnakutty, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy himself reached Chittur to promise the electorate that the extension would be a reality if the UDF was voted to power. He claimed the government had already allocated funds for the purpose and began the preliminary works.
Mr. Achuthan had won Chittur with a margin of 12,416 votes in the last Assembly election. The LDF calculates that it can win the seat easily with the support of the Church-backed civil society movement. Seventy per cent of the population are Tamils, of which 40 per cent are Tamil Latin Catholic Christians, 30 per cent Tamil Kongu Vellala Gounders, and the remaining Ezhavas.
The wells in the locality have water with high level of fluoride.
It was after Antonyswamy Peter Abir was appointed the first bishop of the recently formed Sultanpet diocese of the Latin Catholic Church, the movement against Mr. Achuthan started gaining momentum.
10,600 voters in Chittur taluk had opted for NOTA
in the last Lok Sabha election.
