Soul searching for CPI(M) after Kuttiyadi defeat

May 24, 2016 12:00 am | Updated September 12, 2016 08:14 pm IST - Kozhikode:

The CPI (M)- led Left Democratic Front will introspect over the defeat of two- time legislator K.K. Lathika from Kuttiyadi as well as the decrease in votes of its nominees, T.P. Ramakrishnan at Perambra and E.K. Vijayan at Nadapuram.

All three constituencies have been considered to the red citadels in the district. After delimitation, the Kuttiyadi segment was formed after replacing Meyyapur, before the 2011 polls.

Ms. Lathika [CPI (M)], who is also the wife of party district secretary P. Mohanan, had won from Meyyapur in 2006.

She had faced a similar situation of communal polarisation in Kuttiyadi in 2011, but then she had survived the onslaught. She had won by a margin of over 6,900 votes. Had Ms. Lathika won this time, she would have certainly been made a Minister, party sources said.

This time the presence of a spirited BJP candidate played spoilsport to her winning chances.

Besides, the communal polarisation helped IUML candidate Parakkal Abdulla in the constituency.

His winning margin was 1,157 votes.

Two other parties in fray, the WPI and the SP, which had an alliance with SDPI, received over 2,000 votes together.

Left leaders believe that the same pattern was also evident in Perambra. Here Kerala Congress ( M) candidate Mohammed Iqbal improved his performance.

Thus Mr. Ramakrishnan, who was all set to become a Minister in the LDF government, lost a section of Muslim votes to Mr. Iqbal and to the BDJS nominee, party sources said.

Last time K. Kunhammed of the CPI (M) was elected with a margin of over 15,000 votes. A section of local leaders was against the candidature of Mr. Ramakrishnan.

In the case of Nadapuram too, the CPI nominee who had won comfortably won by a margin of 7, 500 votes last time, now struggled to win.

Victory margin

The victory margin of Mr. Vijayan was reduced to 4,759. Significantly, M.P. Rajan of BJP mustered nearly 14,500 votes while SDPI candidate Abdul Raheem received 2,000 votes from this constituency.

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