Candidates crash-landing in Vadakara for the Lok Sabha polls at the last minute is nothing new. The Congress has successfully fielded its candidates here in this manner in 1971, 2009, and 2019. It remains to be seen if Shafi Parambil, Palakkad MLA, the latest on the list, will repeat the feat.
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K.P. Unnikrishnan was a relatively lesser-known journalist working for the Mathrubhumi newspaper in New Delhi when he was declared as the Congress candidate from Vadakara in the 1971 polls. Graffities seeking votes for Leela Damodara Menon, wife of party stalwart K.A. Damodara Menon, had already appeared in the constituency by then as she was the candidate proposed by the Congress State unit. Mr. Unnikrishan went on to win from the constituency for six consecutive terms, representing various political parties, till 1996 when the CPI(M)’s O. Bharathan put an end to his series of victories.
The political situation in Vadakara was turbulent in 2009 with the M.P. Veerendra Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) breaking away from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and T.P. Chandrasekharan, a rebel CPI(M) leader, forming his own party, the Revolutionary Marxist Party, the year before. The LDF had decided to field P. Sathidevi, its incumbent MP, there. Though United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders vouched for Mullappally Ramachandran, former Kannur MP, from the segment, he was reportedly not keen on a contest. Mr. Ramachandran’s name was announced only after the candidates in the rest of the 19 Lok Sabha seats in the State began their campaign. He could stop the winning streak of the CPI(M) from Vadakara between 1996 and 2009.
By 2019, Mr. Ramachandran had already completed two terms as a Lok Sabha MP. In the 2014 elections, his victory margin was narrow too. The LDF, meanwhile, declared the then Kannur district secretary of the CPI(M) P. Jayarajan as its candidate. When Mr. Ramachandran expressed his unwillingness to throw his hat in the ring again, the names of T. Siddique, K. Praveenkumar, and Vidya Balakrishnan started doing the rounds as probable candidates. The Congress finally zeroed in on K. Muraleedharan, Vattiyoorkavu MLA. Both the Indian Union Muslim League and the RMP are reported to have played a major role in his candidature. He retained the seat for the Congress.
Now, Mr. Muraleedharan is being shifted to Thrissur and Mr. Parambil is replacing him even as campaign posters and a number of flex boards seeking votes for the former started appearing in the constituency.