KK Shailaja: Will Her Public Appeal Secure Vadakara Seat? (image: facebook.com/kkshailaja)
KK Shailaja, senior CPI (M) leader, is currently representing Mattannur constituency in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. She also serves as the CPI (M) Central Committee Member and the State Secretary of All India Democratic Women”s Association. In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the former Health Minister will contest from Vadakara parliamentary constituency.
Fondly called as “Teacher”, KK Shailaja after announcing retirement from her post as a teacher in 2004, she went to focus her sole attention to serve society. In 1996, she represented Kuthuparamba and in 2006 Peravoor Assembly constituency. In 2016, she again emerged victorious from Kuthuparamba segment defeating JD(U) candidate KP Mohanan for a margin of 12,291 votes. Consequently, in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government she was positioned as the Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
Her performance as Health Minister was counted unparallel because whether it be during the outbreak of Nipah virus, Kerala floods or the Covid-19 pandemic, the measures and steps adopted by her to take control of the situation was lauded by everyone. For her leadership and crisis management during the pandemic, The Guardian assigned her titles like “coronavirus slayer”, “rock star health minister” and Vogue Magazine also featured her as a “Vogue Warrior”. Besides, she was invited y the United Nations (UN) to participate in a panel discussion on United Nations Public Service Day 2020, detailing her efforts to fight pandemic in Kerala on June 23, 2020.
Despite her public appeal, international recognition, and high margin victory, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan”s decision to drop her from the Council of Ministers for a second term has met with severe criticism. By choosing her for the Lok Sabha seat, is CPI (M) correcting their mistake or trying to sideline her presence in Kerala by sending her to Delhi? There are anticipations that after Pinarayi Vijayan she has the capacity to excel as Chief Minister. Vadakara, despite being strong with a strong party presence, CPI(M) has encountered defeats the last three times. As the Kerala high court recently upheld the conviction of 12 accused, including local CPI(M) leaders, and set aside the acquittal of two others by a trial court in the case of the murder of TP Chandrasekharan, founder of the RMP, how is the communist party going to reclaim the past glory in Vadakara with the candidature of KK Shailaja? We need to wait and watch.
