Kannur, March 3 – With the CPI(M)'s Kannur district committee clearing nominees for 13 of the 16 Assembly seats in the district, the message is clear: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and State Secretary M.V. Govindan remain firmly in control.
Several prominent district leaders, including E.P. Jayarajan, M.V. Jayarajan, and P. Jayarajan, have been left out, a move that has raised eyebrows in a district long considered the party's ideological and organizational stronghold.
Vijayan, at 80, will seek another mandate from his home constituency, Dharmadom.
However, the most controversial decision is the shifting of former Health Minister K.K. Shailaja from her Mattannur stronghold to Peravoor, a traditional Congress stronghold.
In parallel, P.K. Shyamala, Govindan's wife, has been fielded from Taliparamba, the seat currently held by the State Secretary.
This development has drawn comparisons with 2021, when acting secretary A. Vijayaraghavan saw his wife R. Bindhu not only secure a debut win but also enter the Cabinet as the Higher Education Minister.
Equally surprising is the dropping of Speaker A.N. Shamseer from Thalassery, where he was eyeing a third consecutive win.
In his place, the party has nominated Karayi Rajan, who is currently out on bail in a murder case. This choice is likely to provide ammunition to the opposition.
At Payyannur, considered a CPI(M) stronghold, sitting MLA T.I. Madhusoodanan has been retained despite a simmering controversy over alleged irregularities in a martyrs' fund collection, flagged by expelled local leader V. Kunjikrishnan, who may now contest with the backing of the Congress.
Of Kannur's 16 seats, the CPI(M) contests 13, leaving three to its Left allies.
In 2021, the Left Democratic Front won 14 seats, conceding just two to the Congress. This time, while organizational discipline appears to be intact, undercurrents suggest that candidate selection, rather than the strength of the opposition, could shape the political battle in Kerala's most storied red bastion.