Often portrayed as a red citadel, the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency, known for its looms and lore, has been characterised by a series of nuanced shifts in the Lok Sabha elections.
For an extended period, Congress leader Mullappally Ramachandran dominated the political arena, winning five consecutive terms from 1984 to 1998. However, the emergence of A.P. Abdullakutty, then with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], diminished his influence. Mr. Abdullakutty went on to represent the constituency for a decade till 2009 — he defeated Mr. Ramachandran in the general elections in 1999 and 2004.
