Heatwave And Politics Collide: Palakkad Constituency Is Set For A Triangular Contest

The election temperatures in the Palakkad constituency are rising over the scorching heat gripping Kerala. The political history of Palakkad constituency denotes that it has been a stronghold of the LDF from 1996 to 2014. However, in 2019, UDF changed the course of history through the victory of VK Sreekandan.

Since its creation, the LDF has won 11 times, while the UDF has only managed to win five times in the Palakkad constituency. In the upcoming polls, a triangular battle for the seat ensues as the three major parties have fielded their strong candidates.

Despite the soaring temperatures, top leaders including PM Narendra Modi, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, BJP National President JP Nadda, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, State Secretary MV Govindan, Politburo members Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, and Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai took part in various election campaigns in Palakkad.

The LDF controls five of the seven assembly segments (Pattambi, Shornur, Ottappalam, Kongad (SC), and Malampuzha) in Palakkad, whereas the UDF controls two (Mannarkkad and Palakkad). In the 2019 elections, VK Sreekandan defeated sitting CPI (M) MP MB Rajesh to regain the seat. Sreekandan received 399,274 votes, with 39.1% of the vote, while Rajesh received 387,637 votes, with 37.9% of the vote.

The CPI (M) has fielded A Vijayaraghavan, Polit Bureau member and former convener of the LDF, as their candidate. He has served Palakkad as a parliamentarian before. In 1989, he defeated VS Vijayaraghavan of the UDF to reclaim the constituency.

The BJP candidate is a challenge to both the UDF and the LDF. The saffron party has fielded C Krishnakumar, a former deputy mayor of the Palakkad Corporation and state secretary of the party, as their candidate. According to Krishnakumar, the major concerns of the BJP in this election involve utilising the plot that was taken over for a railway coach factory, building IT parks, developing Kanjikode into an industrial hub, raising job opportunities, providing drinking water, and setting up an AIIMS for Palakkad.

While seeking a second term, incumbent MP VK Sreekandan is brimming with confidence as he recounts the achievements he has accomplished during his five-year tenure. Some of the major projects highlighted by the UDF in this election campaign include the Palakkad-Kozhikode Greenfield Highway, railway pit-line construction, extension of internet connectivity to rural areas, and the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission.

According to the 2011 census, the demographic structure includes 12.5 percent Scheduled Castes (SC), 2.1 percent Scheduled Tribes (ST), 29.6 percent Muslim voters, 3.6 percent Christian voters, and 66.8 percent Hindu voters. Out of a total of 1,323,010 eligible voters, 1,019,337 votes were counted in the 2019 election, reflecting a 77.77 percent voter turnout in the constituency.

(This story is part of a Timeline. internship project.)