Kannur (Kerala), March 20 Pinarayi, a village in Kannur district, holds a special place in the history of Kerala's communist movement. It was here in 1939 that legendary leaders like E M S Namboodiripad, P Krishna Pillai, K Damodaran, and N C Sekhar came together to organize what would later grow into a powerful political force in the state – the communist movement.
Over the decades, Pinarayi has remained more than just a place on the map. It has come to symbolize the roots of left politics in Kerala – a movement that reshaped the state's social and political landscape.
The village continues to make political history even today as it is the hometown of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, one of the most influential leaders of the CPI(M), who broke a long-standing trend in Kerala politics by leading the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to consecutive victories – something rare in a state known for alternating between the LDF and the Congress-led UDF.
Vijayan is once again seeking a mandate from the Dharmadam constituency, which includes his native village of Pinarayi. He is aiming not just for another personal victory, but also to lead his party to power again in the state.
For many voters, the election is not just about a candidate, but about continuity and leadership. Vijayan, often seen as the undisputed leader of the CPI(M), is also currently the only Chief Minister from the party in the country.
However, the contest in Dharmadam is not without challenge. Both the Congress and the BJP are trying to make inroads into what has long been considered a Left stronghold.
The Congress has fielded youth leader V P Abdul Rasheed, while the BJP has put forward its state secretary K Ranjith.
Dharmadam, since its formation in 2010, has consistently sided with the CPI(M).
The seat was won by K K Narayanan in 2011, followed by Pinarayi Vijayan in 2016 and 2021.
In the 2021 Assembly election, Vijayan defeated Congress candidate C Raghunathan by a margin of over 50,000 votes, securing 59.61 per cent of the vote share.
BJP candidate C K Padmanabhan polled 14,623 votes, accounting for 9.13 per cent.
Five years on, the CPI(M) is confident of retaining the seat with an even bigger margin, citing a slew of development initiatives undertaken in the constituency under Vijayan’s leadership.
Party leaders claim Dharmadam was declared extreme poverty-free in April last year, becoming the first constituency in the state to achieve the feat.
Speaking to