4 months ago
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Confident of wresting backmost the Thiruvambady spot successful Kozhikode district, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) enactment is inactive digging its heels successful against a Congress connection to swap the constituency successful the upcoming Assembly polls.
While the IUML is optimistic astir its ain electoral prospects, the Congress is keen to tract its ain campaigner who would beryllium amended aligned with the influential Christian electorate. The Congress enactment believes its nominee would person a stronger accidental of winning this segment, citing that some the settler farmers successful the elevation portion and the Catholic Church person expressed a penchant for the enactment to contention the seat.
Nevertheless, IUML Kozhikode territory president M.A. Razak Master dismissed reports of a compromise, asserting that nary ceremonial discussions had taken spot connected the speech of the Thiruvambady seat. “The League volition clasp the constituency and tract its ain candidate,” Mr. Razak told The Hindu.
A large crushed for the IUML’s steadfast posture appears to stem from its valuation of favourable electoral trends successful the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the three-tier section assemblage polls held successful December 2025. Of the six grama panchayats, the UDF is successful powerfulness successful five; it holds a wide bulk successful four: Kodencheri, Koodaranji, Puthuppadi, and Kodiyathur. The LDF is successful powerfulness lone successful Karassery grama panchayat and Mukkom municipality. Besides, the UDF rules Thiruvambady grama panchayat with the enactment of a rebel Congress person who, having won a seat, is astatine contiguous is its president arsenic portion of a woody made with the Congress pursuing a hung verdict.
Also, the Assembly conception falls nether the Wayanad parliamentary constituency, represented by All India Congress Committee (AICC) wide caput Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Interestingly, the CPI(M) emerged victorious adjacent arsenic her member Rahul Gandhi secured a landslide triumph from Wayanad successful 2019.
Meanwhile, the Congress maintained that the anticipation of swapping the Thiruvambady conception exists. “The UDF aims to triumph the maximum fig of seats. Talks volition beryllium held with the League successful the coming days,” said a elder functionary.
The past clip Congress contested the Thiruvambady spot was successful 1987, erstwhile P.P. George won the segment. Under a seat-sharing agreement, the IUML has been contesting the spot since 1991. In the run-up to the Assembly polls successful 2011, 2016, and 2021, the IUML refused to concede the spot contempt talks and the involution of the Catholic Church. In 2011, C. Moinkutty of the IUML won, but his enactment mislaid the 2 consequent elections.
Thiruvambady is 1 of the State’s astir intimately contested electoral battlegrounds, defined by a knife-edge rivalry betwixt the UDF allies and the CPI(M)-led Left parties. In the 2006 polls, the CPI(M) deftly changed the dynamics aft the enactment nominated Mathai Chacko, and aboriginal George M. Thomas via a by-election, to triumph the segment. Although Mr. Thomas mislaid successful the 2011 assembly polls, helium reclaimed the spot successful 2016. Now, the CPI(M) is moving to consolidate its clasp by fielding the incumbent legislator, Linto Joseph, who has built a bully rapport with the upland farming assemblage and the Thamarassery Diocese and besides perchance thrust a wedge betwixt the UDF allies.
