Political violence, development activities are the talk of Kannur this election

The UDF campaign focuses on political violence in Kerala while the CPI(M) bases it on the developmental activities.
Political violence, development activities are the talk of Kannur this election
Political violence, development activities are the talk of Kannur this election
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Kannur has historically been considered the land of the Left. Communist stalwarts such as AK Gopalan, Azheekodan Raghavan, KPR Gopalan and EK Nayanar have roots in the region. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan hail from the Kannur villages of Pinarayi and Kodiyeri respectively. (They added those names to their own names because of their popularity in the region).

But despite the perception of the CPI(M)’s power in the constituency, the party has only won the Lok Sabha polls four times since the constituency came into existence in 1977.

Sitting MP and CPI(M) candidate PK Sreemathy, who is also the state’s former Health Minister, has emerged as a leader through her ground-level work. But the Congress candidate for the constituency, K Sudhakaran, is one of the most powerful party leaders in the northern district and is widely seen as the only politician who can challenge the CPI(M) stronghold.

Sudhakaran, a one-time MP and working president of the KPCC, has gained notoriety for his misogynistic views that firmly place him in a regressive patriarchal era. He recently released a campaign short film that said educating a woman was a waste.


Sudhakaran's campaign

The BJP, for its part, has fielded senior leader and former state President CK Padmanabhan, and the party expects to double its vote.

How campaigns are being shaped

Kannur is infamously known as the centre of political violence in the state, as reports of CPI(M) and BJP-RSS workers, (and occasionally Congress) being killed in the region have dominated headlines in the recent past. The bloody nature of the battle has meant that for party workers in Kannur, there is little difference between their political and personal lives.

The Congress has focussed its campaign on the recent political killings. Shuhaib, a youth Congress worker, was hacked to death in Mattannur in February 2018, a crime that was allegedly conspired by the CPI(M). Though the party had expelled four accused in the case, the death of the 29-year old block secretary of the Youth Congress has still put the CPI (M) on defence.

The murder of two youth Congress workers, Kripesh and Sarath Lal, in the neighbouring Kasargod in February this year has also been raised during the Congress campaign. Peetthamabaran, a local CPI(M) leader, is the main accused in the murder. Former District Secretary of the CPI(M) in Kannur, P Jayarajan, is an accused in two other murder cases in the district.

The Congress is hoping to make an impact in Kannur and is pinning its hopes on the presence and candidacy of Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad. During recent visits to the state, Congress President Rahul Gandhi visited the families of Suhaib, Krishpesh and Sarath Lal.

The CPI(M), however, has blamed Congress’ Sudhakaran for a slackening in development activities during his stint as MP from 2009 to 2014. It has been suggested that the unity of the UDF in the district is behind that of the LDF. It’s also suggested that he needs to address the party in-fighting -- AP Abdullakutty is unhappy over a seat being denied to him -- before his success can become a reality.

However, Sudhakaran’s image as someone who stands for the protection of customs, coupled with the party’s stand on Sabarimala, is likely to gain him a section of votes.

The LDF, on its part, is focussing on the developments that have been either initiated or facilitated by PK Sreemathy. “Anchandu Anchiratti Nettangal,” which translated to “Five years fivefold achievements” is the campaign slogan for PK Sreemathy. The Kannur international airport is a highlight of those achievements, as is the railway station.


Sreemathy's campaign

The BJP candidate Padmanabhan has held the post of the party’s state president twice and is seen as the antithesis of some of the party’s hardcore Hindutva leaders.

A native of Azhikode in Kannur, he will likely earn favour through his local connection, though he is also facing dissent from within the party for being inactive in recent times.

On the Sabarimala controversy, which is expected to be a major polling issue for the state, the Congress and BJP have similar stances on the Sabarimala issue -- both stand against implementing the SC verdict allowing women of all ages to enter. But the favour is likely to fall on the Congress because of the BJP’s larger agenda.

The constituency’s electoral history

In 2014, the CPI(M) finally secured the seat with the narrow victory of PK Sreemathy. She managed to edge past Sudhakaran by a margin of 6,566 votes. Sreemathy secured 4,27,622 votes, while Sudhakaran 4,21,056 votes. 

But it’s that thin margin that’s bolstering the Congress’ hopes this time around. In 2014, two other candidates named Sudhakaran secured 6,985 votes. There were also 7,026 NOTA votes.

That election saw the BJP securing 51,636 votes, while the political outfit of the Popular Front of India Socialist Democratic Party of India won 19,170 votes.

Kannur’s electoral history shows that the support has flip-flopped between major parties in the last few decades.

Kannur’s first election in 1952 was won by CPI(M) stalwart AK Gopalan. In the next election, Kannur became part of Thalassery as a result of delimitation. But, in 1977, Kannur went back to its former avatar.

That year saw a thrilling fight in the elections as the CPI went toe to toe with the CPI(M). Allied with Congress, CPI candidate CK Chandrappan ultimately defeated O Bharathan of the CPI(M).

In 1980, the Congress (U) candidate Kunjambu, allied with the Left, won the seat.

From 1984 to 1998, the Congress made a series of victories, as incumbent KPCC President Mullppally Ramachandran won consecutive elections for the party.

In 1999, CPI(M) fielded AP Abdullakutty, who won the seat for the Left in a surprise victory. But by the next elections, Abdullakutty had joined the UDF.

Congress’ K Sudhakaran won the seat with a margin of 43,000 votes in 2009.

In the 2016 Assembly elections, the LDF won four out of the seven Assembly seats under the Kannur Lok Sabha seat -- Thaliparamba, Mattannur, Dharmadam and Kannur. The margin in Thaliparamaba and Mattannur had been more than 40,000 votes. It was a big setback for the Congress in Kannur, its stronghold in the district.

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