The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] district secretariat has ramped up preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections with a broad understanding reportedly reached on candidates in eight constituencies in Kannur district.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is set to seek a third consecutive term from Dharmadam and is expected to lead the Left Democratic Front (LDF) campaign in the State. Sources suggest that sitting MLAs in several constituencies will be retained, despite controversies surrounding some leaders.
In Payyannur, Kalliassery, and Azhikode, where incumbents have completed one term, no changes are expected. T.I. Madhusoodanan is likely to be fielded again from Payyannur, while M. Vijin and K.V. Sumesh are likely to contest again from Kalliassery and Azhikode respectively.
CPI(M) secretary M.V. Govindan is unlikely to contest again from Taliparamba. Instead, the names of All India Democratic Women’s Association leaders P.K. Shyamala and N. Sukanya are under consideration.
Though a strong party candidate, Ms. Shyamala had courted controversy when an NRI businessman allegedly ended his life after the local body refused to grant licence to his project during her term as Anthoor municipality chairperson. She had resigned from the post after the incident.
In Mattannur, DYFI State secretary V.K. Sanoj is expected to enter the fray, with the party leadership not keen on fielding incumbent MLA and former Health Minister K.K. Shailaja. Though she was reluctant to contest from any constituency other than Mattannur, she has reportedly agreed to contest from Peravoor, a stronghold of the Congress. In the last election, the CPI(M), which fielded Zakir Hussain, had lost Peravoor to the current Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, Sunny Joseph, by 3,172 votes.
In Thalassery, with Speaker A.N. Shamseer completing two terms, Karayi Rajan is expected to contest.
Meanwhile, in Koothuparamba Assembly constituency, there is a strong demand within a section of the local CPI(M) to reclaim the seat, which it held in 2016. However, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s K.P. Mohanan, who won in 2021 as part of the Left Democratic Front, is seeking re-election. A faction within RJD has also suggested P.K. Praveen, a relative of Mr. Mohanan and the party’s State general secretary, as a potential candidate.
However, no change is likely in Kannur, where Ramachandran Kadannappally, the sitting MLA, is poised to contest for a third consecutive term as the LDF candidate in the upcoming election.
In the last Assembly polls, the CPI(M) secured majorities exceeding 20,000 votes in all the constituencies it contested in Kannur, except in Azhikode and Peravoor. K.K. Shailaja recorded the State’s highest majority in Mattannur with 60,953 votes. Pinarayi Vijayan won Dharmadam by 50,123 votes, while A.N. Shamseer secured Thalassery with a margin of 36,801 votes. T.I. Madhusoodanan won Payyannur by 49,750 votes, polling 62.49% of the vote.
However, Payyannur has emerged as a focal point amid allegations of fund misappropriation that rocked the party locally. District committee member V. Kunhikrishnan had been expelled after he raised charges linked to the Dhanaraj martyr’s fund. The controversy triggered internal rifts in what is considered a CPI(M) stronghold.
Published – March 01, 2026 07:40 pm IST
