Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) legislature party leader and Minister for Industries P.K. Kunhalikutty is seeking re-election from Vengara, one of the UDF bastions in Malappuram district. In the 2011 elections, Mr. Kunhalikutty staged a comeback from here by a margin of 38,237 votes after his heavy defeat in 2006 in Kuttippuram.
Mr. Kunhalikutty is invincible in Vengara now. The UDF lead rose to 42,632 votes here in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded P.P. Basheer as an independent candidate.
The UDF has strong grip over A.R. Nagar, Kannamangalam, Othukkungal, Oorakam, and Vengara grama panchayats. Parappur panchayat is being ruled by the Janakeeya Munnani, which opposed the IUML supremacy in the local body elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded P.T. Ali Haji here. The BJP vote share in Vengara in 2011 was only 3.43 per cent, down below the SDPI vote share of 4.71 per cent. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP polled 5.62 per cent votes.
The constituency saw an increase of 22,954 voters in the last five years. With 85,928 men and 81,330 women, Vengara has 1,67,258 voters, the lowest among the 16 constituencies in Malappuram district.
