A popularity test between two MPs in Kozhikode
In the leadup to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, when the Congress leadership was scouting for a candidate for the Kozhikode seat, senior leader A.K. Antony, then Defence Minister, backed M.K. Raghavan, then Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Kozhikode, to reclaim the constituency, once a stronghold of the party.
The Congress was then concerned about the potential loss of influence in the constituency as the polls were being held after delimitation. Two Assembly segments, Beypore and Kunnamangalam, perceived to be Left bastions, were amalgamated to it, while Thiruvambadi in Kozhikode district, Kalpetta, and Sulthan Bathery were severed to carve out the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.
Mr. Raghavan won by 838 votes, defeating P.A. Mohamed Riyas in a direct fight between the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].
In the 2014 polls, Mr. Raghavan fortified his mandate with a margin exceeding 16,000 votes against the CPI(M)’s A. Vijayaraghavan. In 2019, he scored a hattrick, securing a bigger margin of over 85,000 votes against CPI(M) legislator A. Pradeepkumar.
As Mr. Raghavan sets his sights on a fourth consecutive term, the CPI(M) has rallied behind its Rajya Sabha MP and former Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem. Mr. Kareem was a threetime legislator, twice from Beypore and once from erstwhile KozhikodeII, now Kozhikode South, segments. As the State general secretary of CITU, Mr. Kareem has a good rapport with trade union leaders across Kozhikode’s political spectrum. During his tenure in the V.S. Achuthanandan Ministry from 200611, he had ensured that industries in Kozhikode sucha s the Kerala Soaps and Oils, the Thiruvannur Cotton Mill and the Steel Complex Limited (now SAILSCL Kerala Limited) that were under the threat of closure did not shut down.
In 1980
The last CPI(M) victory in the constituency dates back to 1980, when E.K. Imbichi Bava defeated Arangil Sreedharan of the Janata Party. Congress leader K. Muraleedharan and the late socialist leader M.P. Veerendra Kumar had represented the constituency twice.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated its State general secretary M.T. Ramesh. He is no stranger to the constituency, having contested in the 2004 polls.
In 2019, Mr. Raghavan secured leads in all seven Assembly segments, especially a margin of over 35,000 votes in Koduvally. However, in the 2021 Assembly polls, the LDF swept all seats — Balussery, Elathur, Kozhikode North, Kozhikode South, Beypore, and Kunnamangalam — except Koduvally.
The delay in setting up the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and the proposed Uniform Civil Code reverberate in the campaign scene.
As on January 2024, the constituency has 14,00,113 voters of whom 6,77,512 are males, 7,22,575 are females and 26 transgender voters.