Kannur: Muslim League state secretary K M Shaji who had wrested the Azhikode seat from CPM and won back-to-back elections there, is unlikely to contest from the constituency in the upcoming election to the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

The Muslim League, the second major party in the United Democratic Front, has unofficially made a suggestion to the Congress to swap Kannur with Azhikode. If the Congress agrees for the intended change, then Shaji will contest from Kannur. Or else he will be in the electoral fray from Kasaragod. By offering these safe seats to Shaji his party intends to express solidarity with him in the wake of a few investigations he has been facing of late.

Shaji's candidature is set to influence Muslim League's candidate choices both in Kasaragod and Majeshwaram constituencies in the northernmost Kerala district.

The UDF had wrested the Azhikode constituency from the CPM in the 2016 assembly polls. In the 2006 election, CPM had won the seat by a big margin of 29,468 votes, but Shaji defeated his nearest rival by 439 votes five years later. Shaji increased his margin to 2,287 in the 2016 elections.

Why the likely shift?

The victory margins indicate the seat was won twice by Shaji after putting up a strong fight. The League leadership believes that a candidate from the majority community has good prospects from the constituency in the upcoming polls.

In the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections K Sudhakaran of the Congress was ahead in this constituency segment. The League's reasoning is that if the party contests from the minority-dominated Kannur seat and Congress fields its candidate in Azhikode, the UDF would be able to secure both the seats comfortably. However, Congress has not decided yet to swap Kannur from where Kannur DCC president Satheeshan Pacheni contested last time. He had lost to LDF candidate Kadannappalli Ramachandran of the Congress (S).

Congress fancies its chances in Kannur

The Congress has pointed out that Pacheni's acceptability has improved in the Kannur constituency of late. Crucially, the party's victory in the Kannur Corporation election also points to its bright prospects.

League's plan-B for Kasaragod

If there is no seat exchange as is mulled now, then a new candidate will come in Azhikode from Muslim League’s side and Shaji will move to the Kasaragod seat.

The League leadership has elicited Shaji's view on the issue. In that case its MLA N A Nellikunnu who has won twice from Kasaragod will move to Manjeshwar. League district president T E Abdulla's name is also doing the rounds.

The League is unlikely to allow M C Kamaruddin, the Manjeshwar MLA who was arrested over the gold investment fraud case, to contest from any seat.

If Nellikkunnu is not considered from this seat then Youth League state secretary AK M Ashram might try his luck from the northernmost constituency in the state.