Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: CPM readies massive campaign blitz in Kannur’s Thaliparamba

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, is leaving no stone unturned in the Thaliparamba assembly seat in Kannur, north Kerala, where it faces a challenge from a former local party veteran who is now the Congress-led United Democratic Front’s (UDF) candidate after snapping ties with the CPM over the candidature of PK Shyamala. Shyamala, leader of the All India Democratic Women’s Federation, the CPM’s women’s wing, is the wife of the party’s state secretary, MV Govindan. The challenger, TK Govindan, had walked out of the CPM alleging nepotism in the selection of the candidate.

MV Govindan is the outgoing MLA from Thaliparamba and, in this unusual contest of Govindan versus Govindan, the local leader has accused his former comrade of bending over backwards to favour his wife. Kannur is one of the strongest bastions of the CPM and the home district of several of its towering leaders, past and present, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the late chief minister EK Nayanar, and the legendary AK Gopalan.

Shyamala’s campaign is being managed by high-profile party leaders MV Jayarajan and P Jayarajan, both former district secretaries of the CPM in Kannur. While both Jayarajans are known as troubleshooters, the former had earlier served in the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. P Jayarajan, for his part, enjoys a cult-like following among sections of party workers in the district and is credited with formidable organisational skills and powers of persuasion.

P Jayarajan, MV Jayarajan and EP Jayarajan—three senior CPM leaders—together form what is often described as the ‘Jayarajan trinity’ in the party. Popularly called the Jayarajanmar, they are colourful political figures known for their distinctive styles of functioning and outspoken public remarks. Their rivals have even coined humorous ways to identify each of them: MV is vilaripoonda (hysterical) Jayarajan; P is vettukonda Jayarajan (Jayarajan who was hacked—referring to the attack on him by RSS cadres in a failed murder attempt); and EP is vedikonda Jayarajan (Jayarajan who was shot—he survived an attack by political rivals on a moving train in Andhra Pradesh).

According to several party functionaries familiar with the developments, CPM poll managers in the constituency have now put in place a meticulous and high-profile campaign to ensure that the party state secretary’s wife wins with a comfortable margin in a seat that has traditionally favoured the Left.

“Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPM General Secretary MA Baby, Rajya Sabha MP and central committee member John Brittas and several such tall leaders of the party are going to address crowds in the assembly seat. I have been around campaigns in this constituency for decades but have never seen such urgency and long hours of disciplined work. It is as though the party is worried. But it could also be that the two Jayarajans do not want to take any chances. P Jayarajan is beloved among many comrades here. MV Jayarajan is a tireless worker. Party workers too have taken the campaign seriously, especially with several tall leaders set to campaign in the constituency,” said a CPM local functionary who spoke to Open.

TK Govindan, the 77-year-old CPM rebel who is now the UDF candidate, had alleged that Shyamala was chosen only because she is the party state secretary’s wife. Thaliparamba was represented in the outgoing Assembly by MV Govindan, the state CPM chief. Apparently, even within the CPM’s Kannur district leadership there were concerns and opposition about fielding Shyamala, with some leaders arguing that she did not have a strong connect with the constituency’s voters.

She had drawn controversy earlier over the suicide of a businessman whose family accused her of being rude to him and allegedly harassing him. Shyamala had earlier served as chairperson of the Taliparamba and Anthoor municipalities. “There were fears within the district CPM that her candidature might revive old controversies and put the party in a difficult position,” a CPM district committee member told Open. Several other senior district-level leaders confirmed this unease over her nomination.

Says a CPM worker: “The UDF is running a relatively quiet campaign, helped by the personal connections their candidate enjoys from his years in the CPM. However, what has come as some relief to the Left camp is the decision by Congress leader Koyyam Janardhanan to contest the polls in the seat as a rebel candidate.” Janardhanan has since been expelled from the Congress party.

For the first time in recent years, the CPM in the state has had to contend with several senior leaders deserting the party to contest against it—not over ideological differences but largely over grievances related to denial of electoral opportunities. In nearby Payyannur, too, a rebel leader who left the party alleging corruption by the sitting MLA is now contesting against him. Elsewhere in the state, veteran leader G Sudhakaran also surprised many by joining hands with the Congress to fight the CPM as a UDF candidate in Ambalappuzha, Alappuzha district.