All eyes are turning towards the Elathur constituency in Kozhikode, a region traditionally considered as a red bastion that has now become the debate of a spirited multi-cornered contest ahead of the Assembly polls.
Despite the CPI(M)’s deep-rooted grassroots influence, the seat, since its inception in 2008, has been allocated to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the LDF. NCP leader and Minister for Forests and Wildlife A.K. Saseendran has successfully defended the constituency in three consecutive elections in 2011, 2016, and 2021.
As the election nears, two crucial questions dominate the political discourse—whether Mr. Saseendran will seek a fourth term given his advanced age, or if the CPI(M) will finally reclaim the seat to field its own nominee to consolidate its local dominance.
The segment has a demographic profile in which about 75% of the population is Hindu, almost evenly split between Thiyya and Nair communities, while over 20% belong to the Muslim community. It comprises six Kozhikode Corporation divisions and six grama panchayats, most of which have historically tilted towards the LDF.
In the December 2025 three-tier local body elections, the LDF won Chettikulam, Eranhikkal, Puthur, Mokavur and Puthiyappa divisions in the civic body as well as Chelannur and Kakkodi grama panchayats. The Congress-led UDF emerged victorious in Elathur division and Kakkur, Kuruvattur and Thalakkulathur local bodies, while Nanmanda panchayat emerged evenly balanced between the two fronts.
The outcomes hint at a more competitive contest than in previous Assembly elections, as the CPI(M) has never directly tested its electoral strength in Elathur. Incidentally, despite the lack of a visible party base, Mr. Saseendran secured a victory margin of 38,502 votes in the 2021 election. His expected renomination has already sparked internal dissent within the NCP.
This internal churn has revived speculation that the CPI(M) may retake the seat and offer the NCP another constituency, a move that even a section within the NCP appears willing to accept.
On the UDF side, the Congress is keen to contest Elathur directly this time, buoyed by the gains in the local body polls. Five years ago, the UDF offered the seat to the Kerala Democratic Party led by Mani C. Kappan, triggering discontent among Congress workers. The party now hopes that fielding its own candidate, coupled with organisational consolidation and anti-incumbency sentiment, will help it wrest the seat.
Adding to the complexity is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has steadily expanded its footprint in select pockets of the constituency. In the 2021 Assembly election, the BJP candidate polled over 32,000 votes, accounting for 19.6% of the total votes. The party hopes to increase its vote share and turn the contest triangular in the coming polls.
Published – January 25, 2026 09:06 pm IST
