Thiruvananthapuram: Curtains came down on campaigning in the last of the three-phased Kerala Assembly elections yesterday.
While the polling is completed in 125 Assembly seats in Kerala in the first two phases, the final round covers just 15 seats in the districts of Kannur and Kasargode.
The key contestants in these two districts the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) claim substantial clout judging by the past record.
In the 2001 Assembly polls, the LDF in north Malabar withstood a formidable UDF wave that swept other parts of the State.
In the last elections, the UDF had to be content with 5 of the 15 seats, 3 of them won by the Congress and 2 by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
The IUML is now in jitters, thanks to the open declaration of support to the LDF by the People's Democratic Party (PDP) the Jamat-e-Islami and some other Islamic groups.
Since the last Assembly elections, the LDF had again demonstrated its infallibility by winning the two Lok Sabha seats, two Assembly by-polls and the civic elections.
The UDF, in alliance with the democratic Indira Congress-Karunakaran (DIC-K), has launched a virulent campaign based on the plank of development, social harmony and peace.
Of the 15 seats, 10 are in Kannur district and 5 in Kasargode district.
Kasargode and Manjeswaram segments, bordering Karnataka, are also in the limelight as BJP is a force to reckon with in the state.
Though the party had never won any seat, often in the past it had finished a close second, mostly to the IUML nominees. This time too, the saffron party is making desperate efforts to make a breakthrough.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has ordered re-polling in one booth each in Perinthalmanna and Nadapuram Assembly segments which went to polls in the second phase of Assembly elections.
Re-polling will be held today, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer said.
