Which way will the wind blow?

It is difficult to predict which way the wind will blow in Manalur this election. The constituency was in the limelight as there were speculations that KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran will contest from here. Even before finalising the list, workers had started campaigning for him. However, the UDF has decided to field Thrissur District Congress Committee president O. Abdu Rahiman Kutty here.

Manlur has always shown a strong affinity towards the UDF. It has stood with the UDF 11 times out of the 14 elections held so far. The UDF started its victory march by defeating the then Education Minister Joseph Mundassery in 1960. Congress leader Kuroor Neelakandan Namboodirippad was the winner then.

KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran represented the constituency from 1982 to 1991. The constituency has strong communal undercurrents.

It has a sizable number of Christian and Ezhava votes. When M.K. Paulson was fielded by the UDF in 2001, there was an allegation that he was a candidate of the Catholic Church.

This created Nair-Eazhava unity during that election. The LDF fielded Murali Perunnelly from the Nair community in the 2006 election. However, the LDF lost the constituency in 2011 when they fielded CPI(M) district secretary Baby John. UDF’s P.A. Madhavan defeated him by 481 votes.

Murali Perunnelly is representing the LDF again this time. A.N. Radhakrishnan is the BJP candidate. The LDF had an upper-hand in the last Lok Sabha elections. After the delimitation in 2011, Manalur became the largest constituency in the district. Vadanappally, Choondal and Kandanassery grama panchayats were added to the constituency while Anthikkad grama panchayat was removed from it.

The constituency also has Arimbur, Manalur, Venkidangu, Mullassery, Pavaratty and Elavally grama panchayts and Thaikkad division of Guruvayur municipality.