KP Kunjahammed Kutty, a senior CPI(M) leader, will contest from Kuttiyadi constituency. This comes after local party workers protested the decision to give the seat to the Kerala Congress (Mani) Jose faction. Kunjahammed Kutty, the local CPI(M) leader, was initially suggested as the candidate by the Kuttiyadi mandalam committee of the party. When the seat was given to the KC(M) , the newest ally of the Left Democratic Front, there was a huge protest from the local party workers. Hundreds of party workers took to streets shouting slogans against the decision. Shouting slogans against the move, CPI(M) workers said they can correct the party when it’s needed.
On Sunday, KC (M) announced that it would contest from Kuttiyadi, instead it chose to return the seat to the ruling CPI(M). They said that unity of the LDF is more important.
Following this, there was heated discussion in the CPI(M) over the candidate in Kuttiyadi. The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) state Secretary AA Rahim's was among the contenders for the ticket. But after discussions, the party decided to abide by the local workers' wishes and field Kunjahammed Kutty.
Kunjahammed Kutty had kept himself away from the protests held in Kuttiyadi. He had declared that he was not part of it and he asked the party workers to keep away from those protests as it would harm the image of the CPI(M). He had at the time said he agrees to whatever the party leadership decides.
Kuttiyadi constituency was formed in 2011 after remapping Meppayur Assembly constituency. In 2011, CPI(M)’s KK Lathika, who was the sitting MLA of Mepayyur from 2006, won with a margin of 6,972 votes. But in 2016, Lathika was defeated by Indian Union of Muslim League's Parrakal Abdullah, who won the seat by a margin of 1,157 votes.
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