Thiruvananthapuram, March 20 – With Eid al-Fitr falling on a Friday this year, Kerala's election campaign acquired a distinctly festive yet urgent political hue, as candidates from all parties converged at Eidgah grounds in a last-minute outreach effort ahead of the April 9 Assembly polls.
With only a few days remaining for campaigning to end, nominees from the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front, the Congress-led United Democratic Front, and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance were seen rushing to prayer venues across the state early in the morning.
The gatherings, marked by a large turnout of worshippers, quickly turned into informal political touchpoints.
The supreme leader of the Indian Union Muslim League, Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, was seen hurrying to the prayer ground along with veteran candidate P.K. Kunjalikutty from the Malappuram constituency, even as several media personnel were waiting to speak to him on the festival day.
"Things are looking bleak for us, and in the coming days, when the campaign intensifies, we will be even more optimistic as the outcome is clear," said Thangal.
Candidates arrived well before the prayers concluded, patiently waiting on the sidelines to greet worshippers as they streamed out of the Eidgahs. Handshakes, brief conversations, and hurried appeals for support characterized the interactions, as contenders sought to maximize their visibility among a key voter segment within a limited timeframe.
Kerala's Muslim population, which constitutes roughly 24 per cent of the state's 3.30 crore people, remains a significant electoral bloc, especially in several constituencies across Malabar and parts of central Kerala.
The festive congregation offered a rare opportunity to connect with a large number of voters in one place, something that conventional campaigning struggles to achieve so close to polling day.
In several locations, Muslim candidates from different political affiliations joined the faithful in offering Eid prayers, blending religious observance with subtle political messaging.
For many, it was also a moment to reinforce community ties and underscore their cultural connection.
While the sanctity of the occasion remained intact, the unmistakable undercurrent of electoral urgency was evident.
With door-to-door canvassing and public meetings entering their final phase, Eid ul-Fitr has become both a celebration and a strategic stop where faith, festivity, and politics intersect in the closing stages of a high-stakes electoral contest.