The CPI(M) had a winning streak from the Koyilandy Assembly constituency in Kozhikode district since 2006. The election results on May 2 will tell if the party can repeat its feat this time as well or if the Congress can stage a comeback.
P. Sathidevi, State secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, and Kanathil Jameela, Kozhikode district panchayat president, are reportedly the front runners as candidates from the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Vidya Balakrishnan, Youth Congress leader, and U. Rajeevan, Kozhikode district Congress committee president, and K.M. Abhijith, Kerala Students Union president, are the probable candidates from the United Democratic Front (UDF). From the National Democratic Alliance, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha State president C.R. Praful Krishnan and BJP Mahila Morcha leader Ramya Murali are learnt to be among the contenders. The constituency has Koyilandy and Payyoli muncipalities and Chemanchery, Chengottukavu, Moodadi and Thikkodi grama panchayats within its limits. The UDF is in power only in Payyoli. The constituency is often found to have favoured the LDF in recent Assembly polls and reversed the choice in the Lok Sabha polls.
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Neither the Congress nor the Communists could win the Koyilandy seat in the first four Assembly elections. Kunhiraman Nambiar of the Praja Socialist Party, K.B. Menon and P.K. Kidavu of the Samyukta Socialist Party were elected in the 1957, 1960, 1965, and 1967 polls. E. Narayanan captured the seat for the Congress for the first time in 1970. Manimangalath Kuttiali repeated the feat for the party in 1980 and 1982 elections and M.T. Padma in 1987 and 1991 polls.
Though P. Viswan won the seat for the first time for the CPI(M) in 1996, he lost to P. Sankaran of the Congress five years later. However, Mr. Viswan staged a comeback in 2006. In the last two elections, K. Dasan has been winning the seat.