There is nothing new in political parties gambling with their popular elected leaders of civic bodies for the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
But this time, the Mayor, the Leader of the Opposition and a former Deputy Mayor, who is also a councillor, of the Kozhikode Corporation are contesting the upcoming Assembly elections.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has nominated Mayor V.K.C. Mammed Koya for the Beypore seat, the Congress has nominated P.M. Suresh Babu for the Kozhikode North segment and P. Kishenchand of Janata Dal (United) will contest from Elathur constituency.
Three sitting councillors of different parties contesting from different Assembly constituencies in Kozhikode district is a first in the State.
All of them had fought the civic body polls in November 2015.
Mr. Koya and Mr. Babu won from the wards coming under their constituencies, while Mr. Kishenchand contested from Nadakkavu, falling under the Kozhikode North segment.
Anti-incumbency factor
The leaders of the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front believe that the Assembly polls this time are crucial unlike the past where the anti-incumbency factor dominated the electioneering scene.
The CPI(M) chose Mr. Koya, an industrialist, who won from Arekkad ward, for various reasons. He had previously represented Beypore constituency and had also been the president of the erstwhile Cheruvannur- Nallalam grama panchayat.
Mr. Babu, who won from the Paroppady ward of the Corporation, is a general secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. The party nominated him to recapture the Kozhikode North seat, where CPI(M)’s popular leader A. Pradeepkumar is seeking a third term. Earlier he had unsuccessfully contested against former Mayor A.K. Premajam from Vadakara Lok Sabha seat in 1998 and 1999.
Mr. Kishenchand won from the Nadakkavu ward of the Corporation.
He has been a Corporation councillor for a long time and also had a stint as Deputy Mayor before his party split from JD(S) and was with the Left coalition.
