As Kozhikode continues to grow into a bustling urban center with metropolitan aspirations, Kozhikode North has become one of the most urbanized assembly constituencies in North Kerala. Home to several key administrative and educational institutions, this constituency reflects the city’s evolving urban character and complex electoral dynamics.
The constituency largely comprises the 32 divisions of the Kozhikode Corporation and is characterized by a significant upper and middle class voter base. Its demographic profile is dominated by the Hindu community, which constitutes more than 60% of the electorate, with the Nairs being the majority. Muslims and Christians make up roughly 25% and 15% of the population, respectively.
The results of the three-stage local body elections in 2025 indicate a competitive political environment. The Left Democratic Front (LDF)-led Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) secured a slight advantage by winning 15 constituencies, compared to 11 for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and six for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Although the LDF has an advantage in the constituency, Kozhikode North cannot be described as an impregnable Left stronghold. The electoral history of the constituency reflects a mixture of continuity and occasional shifts in political control.
Formerly known as Kozhikode-I before the delimitation of assembly constituencies in 2008, the segment has remained largely under the influence of the CPI(M) since 1977. The Congress managed to break this hold when its leader A. Sujanapal won the seat in the Assembly elections in 1991. CPI(M) leader M. Dasan won it back in 1996 but lost it again to Mr. Sujanapal in the 2001 polls.
However, from 2006, the CPI(M) regained a firm foothold in the constituency after fielding A. Pradeep Kumar, who won the seat comfortably and held it for the following term. In the 2021 assembly elections, the party replaced him with Thottathil Raveendran, a two-time mayor of Kozhikode, who secured a relatively comfortable victory and enjoyed a virtual walk-off backed by his personal popularity and the groundwork laid by his predecessor, Mr. Kumar.
The CPI(M) has already announced the incumbent Mr. Raveendran as its candidate for the upcoming elections. BJP has fielded Corporation Councilor Navya Haridas. The Congress is yet to name its candidate, though the party plans to name Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary K. Jayanth.
However, electoral arithmetic suggests that the contest could be more competitive this time around. The performance of the UDF and the NDA in the recent local body elections, along with the BJP’s gradual increase in vote share in the assembly polls, suggests that Kozhikode North could witness a more closely fought three-cornered battle.
Published – 16 March 2026 20:59 IST
