KOZHIKODE: The CPM is zeroing in on the party strongman P Jayarajan and Kozhikode (North) MLA A Pradeep Kumar as the probable candidates for the Vadakara and the Kozhikode constituencies respectively. The move may be seen by many as the Left party’s earnest attempt to wrest the two constituencies where the Congress has been enjoying a dream run for a decade. However, it has also raised questions on whether these two candidates were indeed the best bets of the party.
Though linked to many political murders, Jayarajan, the Kannur district secretary of CPM, holds a vast sway among party cadres. His name being proposed in Vadakara instead of Kannur - where CPM is more comfortably placed - shows the party’s resolve to win the tough seat this time by using the most lethal weapon in its arsenal. Two assembly segments in Kannur district - Thalassery and Koothuparamba - fall in Vadakara parliamentary constituency and Jayarajan, who hails from this region, wields considerable influence.
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Barring Kuttiadi held by the Muslim League, all other assembly segments in Vadakara are in the Left kitty. The homecoming of LJD of M P Veerendrakumar to the LDF camp has boosted the Left’s confidence. These two factors plus Jayarajan’s candidature has raised the CPM’s hopes sky high.
However, many caution Jayarajan’s candidature would backfire for the party given the state’s prevailing mindset against political killings. Even the CPM state secretary himself had taken a stand against political killings recently and Jayarajan’s candidature marks a total turnaround from that stand, said political analyst Appukuttan Vallikunnu.
“The Jayarajan factor would not only be confined to Vadakara but will find resonance across the state. The Congress and the BJP would use Jayarajan’s candidature to drive home the point that CPM promotes political killings. This will not only have an impact on the voting in Vadakara but in other constituencies as well,” he added.
A Pradeep Kumar enjoys massive support in his constituency due to his grass-roots contacts, accessibility and his work as a legislator. Though the CPM cadres have welcomed his candidature, it has raised eyebrows among the voters. “It was just three years ago that we gave him another stint as our legislator. He has implemented a slew of development projects here. If he wins, an assembly by-election will be forced on us, wasting public money. Besides, the projects he initiated may be left incomplete,” said V Sujatha, a school teacher and a voter from Kozhikode (North).