Welcome to Sulthan Bathery, a town so clean that not a single piece of paper litters its spotless roads! Both sides of its streets are glittering with flowering plants in pots. There is no spitting anywhere. This place is a fresh breeze in Kerala, known as the cleanest town, with the bright Bougainvillea plant as its proud icon. It warmly greets tourists coming into Wayanad from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. But behind this pretty picture, a fierce political battle is brewing as the next local body polls approach. Since the start of the Sulthan Bathery municipality in 2015, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) has been ruling the roost. The 2015 win was close, but by 2020, LDF had cemented its hold on this hill town. Yet, the town has a history of loyalty to the United Democratic Front (UDF). For over 30 years, when it was just a panchayath, the UDF dominated here — except for eight years when LDF took charge. Wayanad itself usually cheers for UDF with big leaders like MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and MLA I.C. Balakrishnan representing Congress. So, on paper, UDF seems to have the upper hand in the region. But T.K. Ramesh, the chairperson of the Sulthan Bathery municipality and an LDF leader, is not shaking in his boots. He proudly says, “We have worked well in all sectors, be it education, health, infrastructure or welfare. Voters are unlikely to forget it.” Plus, the town has won many awards for cleanliness and was one of the first in Kerala to claim 100% digital literacy. Development could trump old loyalties, he believes. UDF is facing stormy weather within, with internal fights making headlines. Recent tragic suicides of party workers and corruption charges in Congress-run cooperatives have left fresh scars on voters' minds. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and BJP are rubbing their hands in hope. After a strong second place showing in the 2024 parliamentary polls here, they dream of making an even bigger impact. BJP’s former state president K. Surendran, who once fought Rahul Gandhi in 2019, stirred up controversy by promising to rename Sulthan Bathery to ‘Ganapathi Vattam’ as per some old records. All party candidates are now announced. Campaigning has started slowly, but the heat will surely rise soon. Sulthan Bathery’s upcoming local body polls promise to be a colorful, thrilling contest where cleanliness, development, tradition, and politics all collide in a spicy showdown!