Kannur: fronts fighting to maintain positions

By Mohamed Nazeer

KANNUR, APRIL 8. Though miracles are not unlikely in electoral battles, neither the LDF nor the UDF is inclined to anticipate anything miraculous to happen in the LDF bastions of the district in the coming Assembly election. As far as the LDF is concerned, elections in these proven Marxist strongholds are all about demonstrating its strength. The UDF will be satisfied if it can put up a strong fight in these constituencies traditionally monopolised by the CPI(M).

Out of the 10 Assembly constituencies in the district, Payyannur, Taliparamba, Koothuparamba, Thalassery and Azhikode have one thing in common -- unquestioned CPI(M) domination. The party, according to party workers, won't mind if it loses the State, but any erosion of strength in these constituencies in the district known for its Communist Party-led struggles that still rouse passions among party workers and sympathisers in the region will be a matter of deepest concern for the party. Such is the significance that the CPI(M) attaches to elections in the five constituencies in particular.

Payyannur has not elected any non-CPI(M) candidate since 1965. The CPI(M) State secretary, Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, was elected from the constituency in the 1996 election with a margin of 28,078 votes. While he polled 58.69 per cent of the votes, his Congress rival secured only 35.43 per cent. The BJP's vote share was only 3.79 per cent. Compared to the 1987 Assembly election result in the constituency, the UDF in fact fared poorer in 1996. The Congress candidate in 1987 polled 42.25 per cent while the CPI(M)'s vote share was 50.03 per cent. The 1998 and 1999 Lok Sabha election results also recorded slight growth for the LDF as the LDF candidates secured 59.79 and 60.10 per cent votes respectively, while the UDF candidates polled 34.93 and 35.26 per cent respectively. The BJP's votes here remained more or less intact. The CPI(M) Central Committee member, Ms. P.K. Sreemathi, and the Congress 's Mr. M. Narayanankutty are in the fray this time.

In Taliparamba, the CPI(M)'s Mr. M.V. Govindan polled 17,617 votes more than his Congress rival, Mr. Satheeshan Pacheni and nearly 7,000 votes more than the margin by which the CPI(M)'s Mr. Pacheni Kunhiraman defeated his UDF rival in 1991. It was in 1987 when the constituency witnessed a close fight. The CPI(M)'s Mr. K.K.N. Pariayaram defeated his CMP rival by a narrow margin of 2,616 votes. That was the year when Mr. M.V. Raghavan was expelled from the CPI(M) and formed CMP. Barring the 1965 election when the Congress candidate, Mr. C.P. Govindan Nambiar, was elected by a margin of 909 votes, the CPI(M) has been representing the constituency since 1965. Mr. M.V. Govindan is seeking re-election from the constituency in the coming election

No non-CPI(M) candidate has won the Koothuparamba seat since 1970. The CPI(M)'s Ms. K.K. Shylaja's margin of victory in the last Assembly election here was 18,993 as against the margin of 13,060 secured by Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan in 1991. In the 1987 election, Mr.K.P. Mammu of the CPI(M) bagged a margin of 8,963 votes over his Congress rival. The BJP's Mr. C.K. Padmanabhan secured 6.14 per cent of votes in that election. From 50.12 per cent in 1987, the CPI(M)'s strength grew to 53.77 per cent in the 1998 Lok Sabha election and to 57.26 per cent in the 1999 Parliament election, while the Congress strength here came down to 44.57 per cent in 1998 and 39.61 in 1999. The BJP's vote share in the 1998 and 1998 Lok Sabha polls was 4.68 and 1.86 per cent respectively. The CPI(M) this time has fielded Mr. P. Jayarajan, who is treated as a living martyr in the fight against the Sangh Parivar as he was nearly killed in an attack by the RSS workers two years ago. Mr. K. Prabhakaran of the Congress is his nearest rival.

Thalassery is also a CPI(M) fortress. The Chief Minister, Mr. E.K. Nayanar, was elected from here in the 1996 byelection with a record margin of 24,501 votes. Mr. K.P. Mammu, who vacated the seat for Mr. Nayanar, was elected by a margin of 18,350 votes in 1996 election which was nearly 11,000 votes more than his margin in 1991. The CPI(M) State secretariat member, Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, is contesting from here against the Youth Congress leader, Mr. Sajeev Maroli. The BJP, which is supposed to have nearly 10,000 votes here, is expected to go for strategic voting as also in Koothuparamba.

Azhikode elected a non-CPI(M) candidate in 1987 when the expelled party leader, Mr. M.V. Raghavan, won the seat with the support of the UDF with a margin of 1,380 votes. The sitting MLA, Mr. T.K. Balan, got elected in 1996 election with a 14,506 margin which was double the margin the CPI(M)'s Mr. E.P. Jayarajan secured in the previous Assembly election. In the 1998 and 1999 Parliament elections, the LDF candidate polled 53.26 and 56.08 per cent votes respectively while the UDF share was 40.13 and 40.77 per cent votes respectively. Mr. Balan is seeking re- election from here and his rival is the INTUC leader, Mr. K. Surendran.

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