Kerala election | A dynamic young blood against two war-torn loyalists in Kozhikode North

After a long period, the coveted Kozhikode North assembly constituency is likely to contest three seats this time, thanks to the profile of three candidates – CPM’s Thottathil Ravendran, BJP state general secretary MT Ramesh and KM Abhijit Congress.

Mr. Raveendran is a two-time Mayor of Kozhikode and had an impeccable record as Chairman of the Board of Guruvayur Devaswom. Mr. Ramesh is a well-known face of his party in the political arena of Kerala, while at the age of 26, the youngest contestant in this election, Mr. Abhijeet is the State President of the Kerala Students Union.

In the last two elections, CPI (M) MLA A. Pradeepkumar seemed invincible in the constituency from his successful and youthful election phase in 2006 against the then Kozhikode-1, Congress leader Sujanpal. The city has witnessed large-scale development activities, ranging from a very busy city to an ambitious metropolis.

Thus, campaigning for Mr. Ravindran’s campaign has already been done in the constituency. And if he wins, of course, the credit goes to Mr. Pradeepkumar, who was fielded by the party for the fourth time in a row. However, the CPI (M) decided to follow a two-term policy for its candidates. For Mr. Raveendran, this is his first electoral effort in the Legislative Assembly.

Edge over rivals

Mr. Ravindran has an influence and an edge over Sulabh, his rivals, who believe that he can only politically take them into an urban voter class where votes swing easily. However, the CPI-M’s vote share in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections is declining.

In that context, the BJP is employing all its resources to create a fight between Mr. Ramesh and Mr. Ravindran instead of a three-cornered contest. The party has its own reasons for citing – In the December 2020 civil elections, the CPI-led Left Democratic Front won 23 mandals; The BJP, five and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), have four in the assembly constituency.

But can Mr. Abhijeet’s first electoral ground be in his favor? His party relies heavily on its main ally, the Indian Union Muslim League, to excite voters.

As per the demographic details of the constituency, more than 60% are Hindus, comprising most of the fairs. Of the remainder, Muslims and Christians are 25% and 15% respectively. This ratio can prove to be a determining factor in which path the voter ultimately goes.