THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A single loudspeaker in the wrong place can work up unimaginable misery. Add to it 50 more, throw in several hundreds of party workers at their frenzied worst, tip in equal number of flags, multi-coloured balloons, cut-outs and reams of confetti. Now pack it all into a few square feet of space, and you begin to get an idea of what Neyyatinkara junction looked like on Thursday afternoon.The month-long sound and fury which marked the campaigns for the June 2 by-poll ended at 5 pm. But hours before that, decked-up party vehicles had begun streaming into the centre of the town, readying for the final bash. At 2.30 pm, the narrow entrances to the junction were choked with vehicles, and a large crowd had begun gathering on the roadsides and atop buildings.BJP and LDF dominated, but Congress and Muslim League colours also could be seen amidst the thick forest of flags. With loudspeakers spewing out noisy nothings at their ear-splitting worst, pollution control officials would have had a field day.By then, traffic on this busy route had ground to a halt. Long-distance buses and private vehicles were caught in the snarl and services from KSRTC’s Neyyatinkara depot were hit. Shortly after 4 pm, things got going in earnest.LDF candidate F Lawrence appeared on the scene amidst cheers. He did a quick whirl of the junction and the nearby KSRTC bus stand, waving and smiling. He also received some cheerful boos from the BJP men. Soon after, BJP candidate Rajagopal made a relatively sedate entry - in a makeshift chariot.The 83-year-old former Union Minister and his rath inched slowly through the crowd, while BJP loudspeakers exhorted the public to give a vote for morality and crystal-clean politics.UDF’s R Selvaraj did not make an appearance. (He reportedly spent the final moments of the campaign visiting homes). The police were in full strength, but the big event passed without incident. The few moments of tension were gifted by some 30 youngsters armed with LDF flags and a large picture of Lawrence. They clambered atop a luxury coach and started dancing atop it. The passengers - all of them elderly women - were seen beseeching them to get down. After a few weak protests, they scrambled down. When a few burly workers of the CPM and CPI broke off from the crowd and took out an impassioned march to the bus stand, a passerby was heard musing aloud in typical southern drawl; ‘’Adikalu vallathum nadakuo?’’Luckily, peace reigned. Five minutes to 5 pm, the revellers began releasing the balloons into the sky and soon after, with a final cheer, the campaign ended. But the enduring image of the day perhaps was that of two children. They were seen seated atop a cargo autorickshaw in the dead centre of all the revelry. They sat bewildered, ill at ease and silent, clutching party flags.
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