KOZHIKODE: Koothuparamba assembly segment in Kannur district: A Left stronghold and the native place of CPM strongman P Jayarajan. A seat which he won in the 2001 and 2006 assembly elections and also in a bypoll in 2005 with a thumping margin of over 45,000 votes.
Yet, when Jayarajan contested this time in Vadakara parliamentary constituency - which also includes his former bastion Koothuparamba - he was behind his rival K Muraleedharan by over 4,000 votes.
Barring Thalassery, which gave Jayarajan a margin of over 11,000 votes, he could only emerge second in all other assembly segments in Vadakara. Jayarajan’s role in the political murders in north Kerala was the talking point of this election.
The UDF was hugely successful in driving home the message and cashing in on the prevailing public sentiment against political violence. This explains the resounding majority K Muraleedharan recorded in seemingly unsurmountable red citadels.
“The CPM chose to ignore the narrative that we placed before the people against political violence and fielded a candidate who was charge sheeted in two murder cases. The peace-loving people of Vadakara expressed their abhorrence towards political killings and voted decisively this time,” said KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran.
Not only in Vadakara, in neighbouring Kannur and Kasargod too, but the factor that played spoilsport for the CPM was also the same culture of political violence, say political analysts. Of course, consolidation of votes from both minority communities - courtesy the Modi factor - and the majority community - due to the Sabarimala issue - did help the UDF in north Kerala. But the resentment towards political violence too played a major role here.
Consider the thumping win of Congress’ Rajmohan Unnithan, who was transplanted in Kasargod from Kollam against a well-oiled CPM machinery and a relatively acceptable candidate K P Satheesh Chandran. It was barely two months ahead of the polls two Youth Congress workers - Kripesh and Sarath Lal - were hacked to death in Kalliyot which falls in Left-held Uduma assembly segment in Kasargod.
Even in the CPM bastions of Uduma, Rajmohan was able to make considerable gain, thanks to the people’s revulsion towards the brutal killings.
Kannur, the hotbed of political violence, gave major jitters to the CPM this time. The party’s arch-rival K Sudhakaran emerged on top in Taliparamba assembly segment which had been a CPM fortress for 47 years.
Largescale vote erosion from the CPM also happened in other red citadels such as Dharmadam and Mattannur as well.
As the Chief Minister himself acknowledged on Saturday, a majority of the votes that eroded were of Left sympathisers and fellow travellers, many of whom resented the culture of political violence that had been on the rise in the state.
Losing strongholds
4,000 - The margin of votes by which K Muraleedharan won over Jayarajan in Vadakara parliamentary constituency, a former CPM stronghold.
Barring Thalassery, which gave Jayarajan a margin of over 11,000 votes, he could only emerge second in all other assembly segments in Vadakara.
Kannur, the hotbed of political violence, gave major jitters to the CPM this time. The party’s arch rival K Sudhakaran emerged on top in Taliparamba assembly segment which had been a CPM fortress for 47 years.
Largescale vote erosion from the CPM also happened in other red citadels such as Dharmadam and Mattannur as well.