V S Achuthanandan riding tall in red bastion

Malampuzha:As the 'comrade general' of the ruling Left Democratic Front in its battle to retain power in Kerala, Chief Minister and CPI(M) veteran V S Achuthanandan is riding firm saddled in this red bastion of Palakkad district for the third consecutive time. In a deft move, Congress has pitted its women wing leader Lathika Subhash against the 87-year-old Marxist warhorse to deflect the sharpness of his campaign, based on his claim as a relentless crusader against corruption, venality and sexual exploitation of women. Though a debutant, Lathika has proved an astute campaigner having reached every nook and cranny of the sprawling rural segment, wooing voters, saying she is "the symbol of women of Kerala, denied justice under LDF rule." Going by the history of Malampuzha, only a miracle can defeat CPI-M as it has unfailingly returned party nominees all these decades.