The results of the Lok Sabha elections reveal that the share of votes for the Communist Party of India(Marxist) [CPI(M)] declined in several Assembly segments in the district.
The voting pattern has also demolished the myth that some Assembly segments always favoured a particular party. Apart from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) notably improving its performance, smaller parties such as Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP), Aam Aadmi Party, and Socialist Democratic Party of India also made their presence felt.
Both the Lok Sabha seats in the district, namely Kozhikode and Vadakara, were retained by the Congress nominees M.K. Raghavan and Mullappally Ramachandran respectively.
Of the 13 Assembly segments in the district, seven comes under Kozhikode, five falls under Vadakara and lone Thiruvambady in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituencies. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had remarkably won 10 Assembly seats. Now in the Lok Sabha elections the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) reversed this position by maintaining leads in 10 Assembly constituencies.
Mr. Raghavan had leads in Balussery, considered to be a Communist bastion and Kozhikode North, a seat held by popular CPI (M) legislator, A. Pradeepkumar. However, it was the Koduvally assembly segment, a traditional Muslim League bastion, which helped Mr. Raghavan romp home. He received over 16,500 votes more than the CPI(M) candidate, A. Vijayaraghavan, who had vigorously campaigned against the sitting MP.
The CPI(M) maintained leads in Elathur, Beypore and Kunnamangalam, all now held by LDF legislators. However, the margin of votes was incidentally less in Kunnamangalam, below 250 votes and in Communist stronghold, Beypore, less than 2,000 votes.
Mr. Ramachandran managed to win from the Vadakara constituency by a small difference of 3,306 votes. Last time he had won the seat by a margin of more than 55,000 votes. But the outcome now had actually upset the CPI (M) as the party had not been able to maintain leads in any of the five assembly segments in the district. Significantly all these Assembly seats are now represented by the LDF.
The CPI(M) candidate A.N.Shamseer could maintain leads in Thalassery and Koothuparamba segments, in Kannur district. Possibly the “outsider tag” against him failed to fetch the expected votes for the candidate in CPI (M)-strongholds. The results also showed that the issues in the party are not fully over.
However the CPI(M)’s gamble to field a Muslim candidate helped him secure more votes in Muslim- dominated areas. At the same time a Hindu consolidation also favoured Mr. Ramachandran in some segments. There was a massive fall of vote share for the CPI(M) in Vadakara and Kuttiyadi, moderately in Nadapuram, Koyilandy and Perambra.
