Who Wins?: Congress State Chief K Sudhakaran Vs CMP Strongman MV Jayarajan In Kannur
K Sudhakaran, the Kerala Congress chief who won the 2019 general election from the CPM bastion Kannur is awaiting his fate for June 4. The Kerala Pradesh Congress (KPCC) president had insisted that he does not prefer contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, noting his added responsibility of being State Congress chief.
However, the Congress veteran had to obey the party’s high command and thus fielded again from Kannur. For the Congress chief, who won the 2019 Lok Sabha election with a majority of 94,559 votes, the 2024 was projected to be an uphill task. The entry of the CPM heavyweight MV Jayarajan has made the race tougher for Sudhakaran. In 2014 general elections, CPM’s P. K. Sreemathy had defeated Sudhakaran
A Malayala Manorama survey had predicted a dip in the vote share of the Congress sitting MP, while foreseeing a slight increase in the vote share of the left party. Though the major contestants in the constituencies are Congress-led UDF and CPM-led LDF, the BJP-led NDA has been increasing its vote share for the past two general elections.
The survey moreover predicted a five percentage surge in the vote share of the saffron party, projecting a total of 11 percentage from the constituency. In 2019, the BJP had received only six percentage. The party has fielded C. Raghunathan, expressing confidence to capture the seat.
Interestingly, the northern Kerala constituency has, most of the times, inclined to the left party in the assembly elections, and five out of the seven assembly segments are currently with LDF. However, the constituency has rallied behind the grand old party in the Lok Sabha elections, expecting to challenge the BJP at the Centre. As a constituency with over 39 per cent of minorities, including Muslims and Christians, Kannur looks at the Congress party as their choice to confront the saffron threat.
However, as the Kannur of the toughest battles, the Congress chief’s light-hearted remarks on the saffron party were one of the left party’s major campaign tools. Sudhakaran’s several indirect references landed him in controversy, making him an unpopular leader among the minorities. Despite all this, the veteran leader has stood determined and has, on many occasions, asserted his values against the BJP. When the 75-year-old Sudhakaran vied for another term from his sitting seat, he had more to bank on as a state chief of the Congress party, and for this reason, it has also become his prestige issue to secure victory.
But, the CPM, determined to win back the seat fielded its Kannur face Jayarajan. has often alleged that the Congress is taking a soft stand against the BJP’s Hindutva. and that the party even destabilise the INDIA bloc.
Given the political dynamics of the constituency, it is unpredictable to conclude the potential result from Kannur.
