Vadakara Lok Sabha Seat In Kerala: CPI(M)'s KK Shailaja Locked In Prestige Battle Against Congress-Led UDF's Shafi Parambil

In Kerala's Vadakara, former Health Minister KK Shailaja, popularly called Shailaja Teacher, is locked in a prestige battle against Congress leader and UDF candidate Shafi Parambil. The constituency is flooded with posters of both the leaders with BJP's youth candidate Praful Krishna finding a scanty appearance. It's clear that the fight is mostly between the LDF and the UDF. Shailaja, known for her exemplary work during the COVID-19 pandemic, is working to win back the Vadakara seat. 

Prestige Battle For CPI(M)

Vadakara traditionally has been a communist bastion. However, the voters shifted their allegiance to the UDF following the murder of TP Chandrasekharan. Chandrasekharan founded the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) in 2008 after parting ways with the CPI(M). The seat went to the Congress in 2009. When Chandrasekharan was murdered in 2012 and his killers were found linked to the CPI(M), it caused widespread anger against the Left and since then, it has failed to reclaim the seat. Now, its ideological battle with the RMP has turned into a prestige clash.

Shailaja vs Shafi

The fight is between two incumbent MLAs and will result in one becoming a Member of Parliament. While Shailaja is a sitting MLA from Mattanur, Shafi Parambil is an MLA from Palakkad. He had defeated BJP candidate and 'metro man' E Sreedharan in the 2021 assembly elections. While both leaders are equally popular, Chandrasekharan’s wife KK Rema's support for Shafi has complicated Shailaja's bid. Rema holds a significant influence in the seat as she is also sitting MLA from Vadakara. The CPI(M) last won the Vadakara Lok Sabha seat in 2004. Now, it's looking to reclaim it after two decades of exile. The BJP is just trying its luck in the Shailaja vs Shafi battle as the saffron party has still a very long way to go to make its base strong in Kerala.