It’s never a quick fix at Guruvayur

Guruvayur, known as temple town due to the presence of the Sree Krishna Temple, however, has prominent representation for all religions.

As the only seat allotted to the IUML in Thrissur district, Guruvayur is a prestige seat of the IUML.

Eyeing the sizeable Muslim voters on the coastal belt of the constituency, both fronts used to field Muslim candidates in Guruvayur. The constituency, which was once considered as a IUML, had sent League leaders such as B.V. Seethi Thangal, P.K.K. Bava, and P.M. Abubacker to the Assembly.

But the constituency changed its loyalty in 1994, when the then IUML MLA P.M. Abubacker left the party following a split. In the by-poll, which followed, film-maker P.T. Kunjumuhammed, an Independent candidate with LDF support, put a break to IUML’s winning march.

Mr. Kunjumuhammed won from the constituency in 1996 too. Though the IUML managed to recapture the constituency in 2001, Guruvayur stood with the LDF for the next two elections of 2006 and 2011, sending K.V. Abdul Khader to the Assembly.

In the 2011 election Mr. Khader defeated IUML candidate Asharaf Kokkur. Keen on regaining the constituency, once their stronghold, the IUML has been deploying all the weapons in its arsenal. P.M. Sadiqali is the IUML candidate for this election.

The CPI(M), which has also launched a no-holds-barred campaign, is fielding K.V. Abdul Khader for the third time. The constituency consists of Orunamayur, Kadappuram, Punnayur, Punnayurkulam, Vadakkekkad, and Engandiyur grama panchayats of Chavakkad taluk and Guruvayur and Chavakkad municipalities.