MK Raghavan: The Congress Candidate From Kozhikode Lok Sabha Constituency

Born in 1952 in Kannur, The former General Secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and veteran Congress leader MK Raghavan first reached the Lok Sabha in the 2009 general elections with a meagre 838 majority. It was a remarkable victory in the CPM-dominated constituency.

MK Raghavan, a graduate of Mysore University, continued his representation of the constituency by increasing his margin in 2014 to 16,883 and then in 2019 to 85,225. His electoral performance gained significant momentum as he won in retaining the seat of the traditional LDF belt with the higher majority.

However, the Congress has decided to field the Kozhikode MP for the fourth time from the constituency. He filed his nomination on March 31 to the District Collector and Returning Officer. Notably, the CPM has fielded the party heavyweight Elamaram Kareem to take on the Congress strongman. Mr Kareem has started campaigns even before the announcement of his candidature, projecting himself as one who vehemently questions the “saffron threat.”

In the Lok Sabha house, Mr Raghavan has participated in a total of 54 debates while registering 81 per cent attendance. He has asked 270 questions and has introduced 11 bills across different sessions. Declared himself as a social worker, Mr Raghavan has over one crore assets and has one case against him as per his affidavit.

However, as the congress announced MK Raghavan’s third-time nomination in its first list of candidates, the party hopes the sitting MP with his popularity gained over the years can retain Kozhikode. He recently said that the Congress can only counter the “BJP’s fascist onslaught,” pointing out that Rahul Gandhi is the only person who always opposes the saffron party’s policies.

Though not a considerable force, the BJP too has increased its vote share over the past decades in the constituency.