With a clear picture of Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidates in Kozhikode district emerging, the Communist Party of India(Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Communist Party of India (CPI) nominees have begun campaigning in their respective Assembly constituencies.
The Left coalition has announced candidates in 12 Assembly segments in the district. The Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) and the Indian National League (INL), which have been given the Vadakara and Kozhikode South segments respectively, have also set in motion the electioneering works. The Jose K. Mani faction of the Kerala Congress (M), which was offered the Kuttiyadi seat, is yet to announce its candidate.
The CPI(M) is experimenting with many new faces, including local body chiefs, in the Assembly polls. The CPI(M) candidate in Kozhikode North segment, Thottathil Raveendran, who was the former Mayor, has begun his campaign in the high-profile urban constituency. It is the maiden contest of the two-time Mayor in the legislative polls.
Minister for Excise and Transport T.P. Ramakrishnan, who is contesting from Perambra segment again, began electioneering with local meetings. The former secretary of the party district unit had won the seat in 2001.
Another key constituency is Beypore, from where DYFI national president and CPI(M) State committee member P.A. Mohammed Riyas has entered the fray. For him, it is his maiden battle in the Assembly polls. He had contested unsuccessfully in the 2009 Lok Sabha election.
Another first-time contestant of the CPI(M) is K.M. Sachindev, SFI State secretary and former college union chairman of Government Arts and Science College, Meenchanda. He has been fielded from the reserved constituency of Balussery.
The party has nominated Linto Joseph, president of Kooderanji grama panchayat, in the Thiruvambady Assembly segment. He had earlier held the post of district secretary of SFI.
The lone woman candidate of the CPI(M) in the district, Kanathil Jameela, who is at present the president of the Kozhikode district panchayat, is also a fresh face in the Assembly polls, from Koyilandy segment. She is a member of the party district committee as well as State joint secretary of All India Democratic Women’s Association.
As part of its experiment to woo disgruntled elements of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the CPI (M) has once again fielded incumbent legislators P.T.A. Rahim and Karat Razak from Kunnamangalam and Koduvally segments.
