KOZHIKODE: In terms of assembly constituencies, Wayanad would be the smallest district in the state, with just three segments. It was from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi won in 2019 with a record margin of over 4 lakh votes. And even when the Left front hit gold in the recent local body polls in the state, UDF proved its supremacy in the district by taking 20 of 31 local bodies.
Despite all this, the battle for the state assembly has always been unpredictable in the hill district, with the three constituencies never favouring any one front. In 2016, the district chose LDF candidates in two seats, while in 2011, it was UDF that won all three. This year too, a neck-and-neck battle is on the cards in the three seats. Considering Sultan Bathery’s history, UDF has an edge here.
Though DCC chief I C Balakrishnan has been representing the segment for two terms, infighting in the Congress and dissidence among party workers over his candidature may hurt his chances this time.
To capitalise on this, LDF has fielded M S Vishwanathan who joined CPM after quitting Congress.
Firebrand tribal leader C K Janu, the supremo of Janadhipathya Rashtriya Sabha, is contesting on an NDA ticket and offering a tough challenge to both her rivals.
Kalpetta, the lone general seat in the district, will be keenly watched. For LDF, it is a do-or-die battle as popular CPM leader C K Saseendran has stayed away from the fray to make way for LJD’s M V Shreyams Kumar. In 2016, Saseendran had wrested the seat from Shreyams Kumar, when the latter was with UDF. This time, Congress has fielded KPCC vice-president T Siddique.
While the rift between district leaders of the party is likely to affect his chances, the strong support of IUML, which has a strong vote base here, will definitely help him. Subeesh T M is the NDA’s candidate here.The Mananthavady seat is seeing a repeat of 2016 with former minister P K Jayalekshmi taking on CPM’s O Kelu, the sitting MLA. Mukundan P is the NDA candidate.