After a long period, the prestigious Kozhikode North Assembly constituency is likely witnessing a three-cornered contest this time, thanks to the profile of the three candidates — Thottathil Raveendran of the CPI (M), BJP State general secretary M. T. Ramesh and K.M. Abhijith of the Congress.
Mr. Raveendran is a two-time mayor of Kozhikode and had an impeccable record as chairman of Guruvayur Devaswom Board. Mr. Ramesh is a familiar face of his party in Kerala’s political space, while Mr. Abhijith, perhaps the youngest contestant in this election at 26 years of age, is the State president of the Kerala Students’ Union.
In the last two elections, the CPI(M)'s popular legislator A. Pradeepkumar seemed invincible since his successful and maiden electoral run in the constituency, the erstwhile Kozhikode-I, against Congress leader A. Sujanapal in 2006. Since then, Kozhikode city has seen massive development activities, metamorphosing it from an overgrown town to an aspiring metropolis.
Thus, the spadework for Mr. Raveendran's campaign has already been done in the constituency. And if he wins, certainly, the credit goes to Mr. Pradeepkumar, whom the party had considered to field for the fourth time in a row. But then, the CPI (M) decided to abide by the two-term policy for its candidates. For Mr. Raveendran, this is his first electoral attempt to the Assembly.
Edge over rivals
Affable and accessible, Mr. Raveendran, has an edge over his rivals, who believe they can take him only politically in an urban electorate segment where votes easily swing. However, the vote share of the CPI(M) has been dwindling in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
In that context, the BJP is employing all its resources to make the polls a battle between Mr. Ramesh and Mr. Raveendran, rather than a three-cornered contest. The party has its own reasons to cite — in the December 2020 civic polls, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front won 23 divisions; the BJP, five and the Congress-led United Democratic Front ( UDF), four in the Assembly constituency.
But can Mr. Abhijith's maiden electoral fray work in his favour? His party is heavily dependent on its main ally, the Indian Union Muslim League, to enthuse voters.
As regards the constituency’s demographic profile, over 60% are Hindus, with the majority comprising Nairs. Of the remaining, Muslims and Christians constitute 25% and 15% respectively. This proportion can prove to be a determining factor as to which way the electorate goes eventually.
