KANNUR: In a striking departure from past polls, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan faced an early setback as counting began on Monday. In Dharmadam, UDF candidate V P Abdul Rasheed surged ahead in the first six rounds, putting the LDF camp under immense pressure.
As the first round of counting concluded, Rasheed secured 5,741 votes against Pinarayi’s 5,008. He maintained his lead throughout several rounds. By the end of the sixth round, he had amassed 33,102 votes, while Pinarayi trailed with 32,455. It was only in the seventh round, when votes from Peralassery grama panchayat began to be counted, that Pinarayi edged ahead, with a narrow margin of 1,536 votes.
This was not the first time Rasheed had unsettled a seasoned CPM leader. In the 2021 assembly election, he delivered a similar challenge in Taliparamba, taking on M V Govindan, now the CPM state secretary, in what has long been considered a Left stronghold.
“After the Taliparamba election, I concentrated on the constituency and began work there with the leadership’s consent. Later, I was shifted to Dharmadam and had only two weeks for campaigning. We focused on Anjarakkandy, Chembilode,
Peralassery and Vengad grama panchayats, where I secured a lead in initial stages. We didn’t get enough time to concentrate on the other four panchayats,” he said. In the end, Pinarayi retained the seat with a majority of 19,247 votes. However, the UDF managed to dent his dominance.
With his performance, Rasheed reinforced his political credentials, dispelling the notion that his showing in Taliparamba was a mere stroke of luck. He told the media that he had requested party leaders to campaign in Dharmadam, but none turned up.
“Those who opposed Pinarayi Vijayan for the past 10 years didn’t come for the campaign. Else, the result could have been entirely different,” he said.
Then & now
2016 assembly polls
Pinarayi Vijayan (CPM): 87,329
Mambaram Divakaran (INC): 50,424
Margin: 36,905
2021
Pinarayi Vijayan (CPM): 95,522
C Raghunathan (INC): 45,399
Margin: 50,123
2026
Pinarayi Vijayan (CPM): 85,614
V P Abdul Rasheed (INC): 66,367
Margin: 19,247
