Hundreds of CPI(M) workers rallied on Wednesday after the Left Democratic Front allotted the Kuttiadi constituency seat in Kozhikode district to Kerala Congress (Mani) Jose faction, LDF's new ally. During the last few days, posters have been appearing in the constituency asking CPI(M) to back off from the decision. Shouting slogans and holding posters against the decision, workers held a huge rally in Kuttiadi.
The cadres have strongly asked the state leadership to field district secretariat member and former district panchayat president K P Kunhammad Kutty from the constituency.
However, the protestors also told the media that they are on the streets against the decision, but they are not against CPI(M).
"We had been preparing for the election but unfortunately, to the dismay of the people, the seat was handed over to Kerala Congress (Mani). During the last five years, the IUML member who is the present MLA, has not carried out much developmental work. Hope this protest will be noted by the CPI(M) leadership," said one of the local leaders who had joined the protest.
Earlier, party workers at the constituency had expressed their dissent with Elamaram Kareem, central committee member, who announced the party decision at the Kuttiadi mandalam committee meeting.
The Kuttiadi mandalam committee then wrote to the CPI(M) central leadership asking them to back off from the decision. However, the state leadership did not buckle under this pressure. Meanwhile, reports said that the CPI(M) was aiming to get the Christian vote bank in Kuttiadi by fielding a KC(M) candidate. Local CPI(M) leaders believe that KC(M) which does not have a stronghold in North Kerala would struggle to win the seat.
Kuttiadi constituency was formed after remapping Meppayur Assembly constituency during a delimitation process. In 2011, KK Lathika, who was the sitting MLA of Mepayyur from 2006, won with a margin of 6,972 votes.