MALAPPURAM: With the Election Commission setting the ball rolling for byelection in Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency on April 12, all major political parties have switched to campaign mode.
The by-election, necessitated after the sudden demise of E Ahamed MP, would see Muslim League, CPM and BJP - the three major political forces in the state - test their ground support almost a year since the fiercely fought Assembly polls.
Though none of the parties have announced their candidates, unconfirmed reports suggest IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikkutty would step in to defend the party fortress.
“We are yet to make a final decision. Name of the candidate and the election strategy would be decided only after convening a meeting of the party functionaries,” said IUML state general secretary K P A Majeed.
He said the party will win the Lok Sabha seat with ease and is unlikely to face any stiff competition from any of their political rivals. E Ahamed was elected from the constituency with a whopping majority of 1,94,739 votes in 2014, polling 4,37,723 votes.
“Muslim League will surely repeat the feat. Chances are there for us to improve our majority. We have a definite plan on how to go about the poll. Whoever is fielded, the party clearly holds an upper hand in the constituency,” he said. The sweeping victory in the 2016 Assembly polls have come as a morale booster for the CPM and the party would be all pumped up to face the challenge posed by Muslim League. It is learnt the party is looking for a strong candidate to end the dominance of Muslim League in the politically-vibrant constituency.
CPM district secretary P P Vasudev said the state leadership would take a final call on candidate selection later this week.
“Whoever the party fields, it would be great a opportunity for us to make an impact in Malappuram, known to be a traditional bastion of the IUML. We now have a level playing ground and we could even win it,” Vasudev said.
BJP Kerala north zone secretary Preman Master said the party could double its vote share in the forthcoming poll especially when it was gaining traction as a people’s party in Malappuram.
“No doubt, we will make huge strides in terms of vote share,” he said.