CPI(M) likely to retain Kuttiyadi, Perambra seats in upcoming Assembly polls

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] He is likely to keep the Kuttiyadi and Perambra Assembly segments in Kozhikode district with him in the coming polls, but the Left Democratic Front (LDF) ally Kerala Congress (Mani) is eyeing both, considering the influential presence of community votes here.

In the 2021 Assembly polls, the Kuttiyadi segment was initially allotted to the KC(M). The party was given the seat instead of Perambra, which it had claimed earlier. However, a section of CPI(M) activists and sympathizers openly rebelled against this move, forcing the party to change its stance.

The party then fielded senior leader KP Kunhammed Kutty, who won the constituency by a narrow margin from Indian Union Muslim League’s incumbent legislator Parakkal Abdulla. LDF convenor and senior CPI(M) leader TP Ramakrishnan has been winning from Perambra since 2016. According to sources, the CPI(M) is being more cautious in choosing candidates this time as it wants to secure the third term of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government. Every seat is very important for the party.

KC(M) was promised 13 seats across the state in 2021. However, after giving Kuttiyadi, this number decreased to 12. This time KC(M) is definitely determined to get 13 seats. A senior KC(M) leader from the region said: Hindu The party was hopeful of winning a winnable seat in the Malabar highlands on Thursday, it said. He said the party may seek Thiruvambady, represented by Linto Joseph of CPI(M) in Kozhikode this time. “If this doesn’t work, we will seek a seat in the higher reaches of Wayanad or Kannur,” he said.

Meanwhile, LDF district collector Mukkom Mohammed said that under current circumstances, the Perambra and Kuttiyadi seats could be retained by the CPI(M). “In Perambra, the incumbent MLA is also the convener of LDF State. In Kuttiyadi, the CPI(M) candidate had defeated the incumbent MLA of IUML,” he said. When asked about KC(M)’s demand for 13 seats, he said it was unlikely to get another seat in Kozhikode district. “However, they may be given one more seat from other parts of Malabar,” Mr. Mohammed added.