The great electoral exercise in five states announced, life-and-death ambience for many parties

Elections to five states have been announced and in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (Pondicherry) it would be on April 13, a day prior to the festival of Vishu. All the three states will have single-phase election. In Assam, there will be two phases and in West Bengal there will be six phases. Counting for all states will be on May 13, when the fate will be sealed.

For the CPM, West Bengal has been shaking, something unthinkable a few years ago. Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is itching to take over after more than 30 years of leftist rule there.

As per the relevant experience, Kerala has been returning Congress-led UDF and CPM-led LDF regimes one after the other. Neither front has been able to retain power after one tenure. In that case, CPM-led LDF will have to bite the dust. A double blow for the CPM, indeed.

But the CPM, in recent days, has been pleased with the harsh developments overtaking some leaders of the UDF. Balakrishna Pillai is in jail in the Idamalayar case, nothing less than one-year rigorous imprisonment. And he cannot contest the forthcoming elections either. Of course, his son, K.B.Ganeshkumar is very much there to lead the party.

P.K.Kunjalikutty of the Indian Union Muslim League has been exposed by his own co-brother, alleging that the sex scandal from which he escaped earlier was because of suppressive measures. Now the arena is filled with moves and counter-moves.

Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan and his son, Arunkumar, have been attacked by the UDF with wrong-doings. One allegation is that the Chief Minister withdrew from the move to cause a CBI inquiry into the lottery muddle. Achuthanandan puts the onus on the Central Government led by the Congress. The Congress puts the blame on the Chief Minister as he was wrongly influenced by his son, the allegation goes.

Now the arena is agog with a lot of allegations, with the Chief Minister saying that a lot of UDF leaders would go to jail for their wrong-doings.

There has been a move to drag Chief Ministerial hopeful Oommen Chandy in the palmolein case. Things are hotting up, with Achuthanandan himself likely to contest the elections again.