Palakkad is known for its hot weather, perhaps the hottest in Kerala. Electoral heat too has become palpable in Palakkad with Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate A. Vijayaraghavan and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate C. Krishnakumar giving a tough fight to United Democratic Front (UDF)’s sitting MP V.K. Sreekandan. The fight is triangular indeed with the BJP increasing its clout and counting Palakkad as a class-A constituency.
Mr. Vijayaraghavan, the only Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Politburo member in the fray in the State, is out to wrest back Palakkad from Mr. Sreekandan, who defeated LDF’s two-time MP M.B. Rajesh by 11,637 votes in 2019. The LDF is pinning its hopes on the Assembly election results, in which Assembly segments such as Pattambi, Shoranur, Ottapalam, Kongad, and Malampuzha had favoured the LDF while Mannarkkad and Palakkad favoured the UDF.
Given the consistent voting character of the seven Assembly segments that make up the Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency, the LDF enjoys an edge. But Parliament elections are a league apart, say most seasoned politicians.
