Kozhikode: The voting pattern in the Communist stronghold of Kannur points to a sharp erosion in support, with the CPM losing over 84,000 votes across the eight constituencies it contested in the district compared with the 2021 assembly election.
Of the 11 constituencies in the district, CPM candidates contested in eight — Payyannur, Kalliasseri, Taliparamba, Azhikode, Dharmadom, Thalassery, Mattannur and Peravoor — while LDF allies Kerala Congress (M) and RJD contested in Irikkur and Koothuparamba, respectively.
The CPM's total vote count across these eight seats fell from 6,77,606 in 2021 to 5,92,820 this time — a decline of 84,786 votes. In contrast, the UDF tally surged from 4,09,888 to 5,54,591, marking a gain of 1,44,703 votes. While the CPM retained five of the eight seats, it registered a drop in vote share across all the constituencies it contested.
The erosion was most pronounced in Payyannur and Taliparamba, where rebel CPM leaders, contesting as UDF-backed independents, emerged victorious. In Payyannur, CPM candidate T I Madhusoodanan's vote tally fell sharply from 93,695 in 2021 to 69,153, as expelled leader V Kunhikrishnan secured a decisive win.
In Taliparamba, CPM's P K Shyamala polled 78,788 votes — 14,082 fewer than the 92,870 votes secured by her husband and CPM state secretary M V Govindan in 2021. Even in Dharmadom, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's vote count dropped from 95,522 in 2021 to 85,614 this time, with his majority shrinking to just 19,247 votes from more than 50,000 in the previous election.
In Mattannur, K K Shailaja secured 96,129 votes in 2021, while V K Sanoj polled 81,456 this time. Similar declines were recorded in Thalassery (81,810 to 69,743), Azhikode (65,794 to 64,951), Peravoor (63,534 to 61,687) and Kalliasseri (88,252 to 81,428).
Significantly, CPM failed to proportionately benefit from the increase in the electorate over the past five years, underscoring the depth of the erosion. The scale and spread of the decline across core strongholds suggest more than routine anti-incumbency. Losses in leadership-heavy constituencies such as Dharmadom point to growing disenchantment within party ranks.
Victories secured by party rebels are widely seen as a stern message of course correction to the leadership, signalling organisational strain within the CPM in its traditional bastion. The scale of the vote drop also suggests that sections of the party's grassroots machinery and local networks did not fully mobilise behind official candidates.
Follow the latest election results 2026, live updates, winner lists, constituency-wise results, party-wise trends and full coverage for
Tamil Nadu election results,
West Bengal election results,
Kerala election results,
Assam election results and
Puducherry election results results on Times of India.
Start a Conversation
Post comment