Two LDF supporters holding a red flag in Kozhikode on April 6. | Photo credit: K. Ragesh
Kozhikode district presents a particular paradox for the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-led Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
While the LDF has had a clear upper hand here in all the assembly elections held since 2006, it has not had an MP from the district since 2009. The UDF has only been able to elect MLAs in single digits since 2006, with the Congress sitting vacant for over two decades. However, the front party has swept all the Lok Sabha polls held since 2009. The upcoming assembly elections are expected to be a litmus test of the UDF’s efforts to break the jinx and the LDF’s efforts to retain supremacy.
Kolkkali rally held at Kozhikode beach as part of campaign for VK Faisal Babu, UDF candidate from Kozhikode South, on April 6. | Photo credit: K. Ragesh
Currently, the LDF has representatives in 11 of the 13 constituencies in the district. The CPI(M) has seven MLAs on its own. The UDF is confined to Vadakar and Koduvally. Although the LDF was confident of repeating its 2021 performance this time around, the unexpected setback in the 2025 local polls seems to have made them cautious. The front has just managed to return to power in the Kozhikode corporation, losing the district panchayat and several grama panchayats across the district.
Most of the incumbent LDF MLAs, barring Koyilanda and Nadapuram, are back in the fray in an apparent bid to cash in on their popularity. Some of the most watched contests are taking place in Beypore, between LDF’s PA Mohamed Riyas and UDF-backed Independent PV Anvar; in Perambra, between TP Ramakrishnan of the LDF and Fathima Thahiliya of the UDF; in Vadakara between UDF-backed Revolutionary Marxist Party candidate KK Rema and LDF MP Bhaskaran; and in Kuttiyadi, between KP Kunhammed Kutty of the LDF and Parakkal Abdulla of the UDF.
The LDF believes it has a lead in at least eight constituencies, according to the results of the assembly elections held after the delimitation exercise in 2008. The UDF, meanwhile, hopes to retain its existing seats and add Kozhikode South, Kunnamangalam and Nadapuram to the list on the back of its good show in the local polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is mainly targeting urban segments like Beypore, Kozhikode South and Kozhikode North.
Published – 06 Apr 2026 21:40 IST
