Azhikode: Rival fronts equally poised

Election in the Azhikode Assembly constituency is going to be a keenly-watched battle as sitting MLA K.M. Shaji of the IUML, who won in 2011 with a margin of 493 votes, is seeking re-election to retain the seat.

The constituency used to be a CPI(M) stronghold. The de-linking of Kallyasseri, Kannapuram, and Cherukunnu from the constituency in the delimitation changed its profile. Now the LDF and UDF are more or less equally poised there.

But Azhikode retains the legacy of having elected LDF candidates since it was formed in 1977 except in 1987, when M.V. Raghavan backed by the UDF won the election, and in 2011. With the delimitation, the UDF stronghold panchayats such as Puzhathi, Chirakkal, and Pallikkunnu were merged with the constituency.

The votes polled by the LDF and UDF in the panchayats in the constituency, however, show that the LDF still has a stronger vote base. In the Azhikode panchayat alone, the LDF secured a margin of 3,594 votes. But the UDF finds hope in the fact that K. Sudhakaran of the Congress garnered more votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha election in the constituency.

The possibility of Congress leader P.K. Ragesh, who won as rebel in the Kannur Corporation, contesting as rebel in either the Azhikode or Kannur Assembly constituencies is a factor that the UDF and the LDF is keenly watching, though from different perspectives.

The BJP and the SDPI also has pockets of influence in the constituency.