Political tsunami in Malabar dents CPM’s base in North Kerala

Kozhikode: The unprecedented political tsunami that swept across Malabar dealt a debilitating blow to LDF as unshakable strongholds fell in rapid succession. From its ideological heartland in Kannur to its once-formidable bastions in Kozhikode, LDF's dependable electoral engine broke down, delivering a blow to CPM's political standing in north Kerala.The scale of CPM's rout was historic and sharp as it was reduced to eight seats in the 48 constituencies of Malabar, down from 28 in 2021. In a stunning reversal, LDF failed to open its account in Malappuram and Wayanad and was left with just a solitary seat in Kozhikode, where it had dominated with 11 seats five years ago. What made the verdict extraordinary was the collapse at the core of Left's political geography, including the strongholds in Kannur and constituencies like Trikaripur where UDF had not won.For decades, LDF's strength in Malabar rested on a carefully balanced social coalition: class-based mobilization in communist strongholds, sustained minority trust and organizational discipline. This election saw all three pillars fracture simultaneously. The verdict reflected negative voting from CPM's traditional support base and illustrated dissatisfaction with the party's internal functioning and political direction of the leadership.In a dramatic turnaround, UDF won 12 of the 13 seats in Kozhikode, up from two in 2021. The resurgence of Congress, after a quarter-century absence, was striking, with the party winning five seats, while IUML secured six and RMP won the remaining seat. Only PA Mohammed Riyas managed to hold CPM's fort in Beypore.In a district where not a single Congress candidate was elected in the past 25 years, all five Congress candidates won. IUML also won all six seats it contested. In 2016 and 2021, UDF secured only two seats each in Kozhikode.The wins in traditional Left strongholds added to the significance of UDF's surge with IUML's Fathima Thahiliya defeating LDF convener TP Ramakrishnan in Perambra, KSU leader VT Sooraj defeating Sachin Dev in Balussery and Vidhya Balakrishnan defeating minister AK Saseendran in Elathur. Sooraj, the youngest candidate, recorded the highest margin in the district with 16,980 votes.In Kannur, internal dissent and dissident candidates fractured CPM's organizational discipline. Though CPM managed to retain six seats, the victory of two rebels and the reduced margin for Pinarayi Vijayan in Dharmadom underscored deep discontent against the leadership.At the core of the electoral reversal lay a combination of factors, the most-prominent being the sweeping anti-incumbency wave and negative voting from cadres against autocratic tendencies within CPM leadership. Equally emphatic was UDF's sweep in Malappuram which wrested Left citadel of Ponnani that had elected Left candidates for decades. Congress won all three seats in Wayanad.The magnitude of UDF surge reflected in win margins as seven constituencies saw over 50,000 votes. Senior IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty registered a record margin of over 85,000 votes.Calling the verdict a reflection of Kerala's heightened political awareness, political observer MN Karassery said voters, including CPM supporters, demonstrated independent judgment even when the party and its leader asked them to vote citing ideological allegiance."The victories of V Kunhikrishnan and TK Govindan showed that even cadres are willing to question and correct the leadership. Over the past five years, CPM and govt had become synonymous with Pinarayi Vijayan. The verdict is a clear message from within that such a situation cannot continue," he said.