Kozhikode: E.P Jayarajan needs no introduction in Kerala. The firebrand CPM leader, one among the three ‘Jayarajans of Kannur,’ is entering the Assembly from Mattannur wth one of the biggest margins in these elections: 43,381 votes.
A strong defender of the party in Kannur during its troublesome days, Mr Jayarajan is known for uncompromising commitment to the party and for his fiery speeches.
Mr Jayarajan had his education at SN College, Kannur and entered politics through SFI. He went on to become the first president of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) when it was formed in 1980. During the time of Emergency, Mr Jayarajan faced brutal police torture when he went to Kannur to visit Jayaprakash Narayan.
Mr Jayarajan turned a full-time party activist after resigning his job in a co-operative bank at Chirakkal. He became the secretary of the CPM Kannur district committee in 1995 and held the post for a long time. Mr Jayarajan was instrumental in setting up the Irinavu Weavers’ Cooeprative Society at Irinavu which benefitted hundreds of weavers in his area.
Mr Jayaraj had mixed fortunes in elections: he lost to CMP leader M.V. Raghavan in Azhikode in a prestigious election In 1987; but he recaptured the constituency in the 1991 election. Mr Jayarajan is a living symbol of the barbaric political violence in Kannur district. He received a bullet injury in his neck at Vijayawada while returning in a train from a party meet on April 12, 1995.
Mr Raghavan and Congress leader K. Sudhakaran were charged with plotting the attack, but were later acquitted. Mr Jayarajan still carries the bullet in his body. Mr Jayarajan’s wife Indira is working as a senior manager at district co-operative bank.
