Kuttiyadi, one of the newborn constituencies in Kerala and known for its high-yielding coconut varieties, has been a hard nut for the United Democratic Front (UDF) to crack. The erstwhile Meppayur constituency stuck with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) even after the delimitation process.
K.K. Lathika became the first MLA from the new constituency in 2011 by a majority of around 7,000 votes. She got 70,258 votes against UDF candidate Soopi Narikkatteri.
The erstwhile Meppayur constituency was one of the strongholds of the LDF since its formation in 1965. For 25 years, the LDF held it with pride. Though the entry of A.V. Abdurahiman Haji, representing the Indian Union Muslim League, gave a temporary blow to the LDF supremacy, from 1977 to 1987, the LDF has managed to retain the hold since then.
The constituency has eight grama panchayats — Ayanchery, Kunnummal, Kuttiyadi, Purameri, Velam, Tiruvallur, Maniyoor, and Villiappally. For the LDF, the cheer factor is that it has dominance in majority of the panchayats. The UDF claims that the LDF’s upper-hand in the local bodies is hardly a matter to fret during Assembly elections. There were times when the UDF managed to gain majority in panchayats, they point out.
As usual, the campaign goes in favour of the farmers’ fraternity and their welfare. An industrial park, exclusively for coconut-based products, still tops the electorate’s development agenda.
