Kerala CM Pinarayi eyes 3rd straight win in Dharmadom
Pinarayi (Kannur): In public perception, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is often seen as a serious figure, stern demeanour included. But for party workers in his hometown Pinarayi, he is their beloved ‘Vijayettan’, or elder brother.
Even non-party workers here talk about the college-going Vijayan who used to read the morning newspapers aloud to their parents and grandparents, as they worked at local beedi companies.
Surrounded by the Anjarakandi river, the village, part of Kannur’s Dharmadom constituency, is now preparing for Vijayan’s third consecutive election. The constituency, formed in 2011, has been represented by him since the 2016 Assembly election, with his victory margin rising from 36,905 to 50,123 in his second term. Before that, the village was part of Koothuparambu, which Vijayan represented in 1970, 1977, and 1991.
With a week to go for the Assembly polls, CPI(M) functionaries are leading his campaign through small family gatherings, public events, and speeches at key centres across the constituency. The campaign is set to intensify from 4 April, when the chief minister is expected to arrive after completing his statewide tour, with public rallies and mass outreach programmes planned.
The constituency will also witness a major event in Mambaram town on 3 April, featuring a line-up of prominent artists with performances by actor Rima Kallingal and rapper Vedan, along with a chenda melam (classical Kerala percussion) led by noted percussionist Mattanur Sankarankutty Marar. Actor Kamal Haasan is also expected to attend virtually, though the party maintains it is not an official campaign event.
“It’s organised by Karali TV and Swaralaya and is not part of the party campaign. It will not have the party symbol. They have invited the Chief Minister, so he will mark his attendance,” says K.Sasidharan, CPI(M) campaign coordinator in Dharmadom.
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Dharmadom’s legacy
Located nearly 22 km from Kannur city, this small town sits along the Anjarakandi river which serves as a lifeline for the locality. While the town and Dharmadom constituency are now known for Vijayan, they are also bearers of a significant legacy in the state’s Communist history.
In 1939, a secret meeting held in Parappuram, about 3 km from Pinarayi, marked the formation of the Communist party in Kerala. The region is also linked to A. K. Gopalan, India’s first Leader of the Opposition, who hailed from nearby Peralassery, around 6 km away, and which falls within the constituency. The area houses several schools, museums, and memorials dedicated to such stalwarts.
The constituency includes multiple villages known as ‘party gramam’ (party villages), a Kerala term for areas historically dominated by the CPI(M). However, locals told ThePrint that there is a gradual rise in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) presence in parts of the region, with the organisation increasingly involved in Hindu festivals such as Sree Krishna Jayanthi, a relatively recent development.
Though Kannur once had among the highest numbers of RSS shakhas (branches) before the 2000s and witnessed multiple instances of political violence between CPI(M) and RSS workers, the BJP’s electoral presence in the district has remained negligible.
Not just Pinarayi, the entire Dharmadom constituency features newly built bridges, and widened roads. Party workers say their confidence of victory stems from developmental and infrastructural projects worth Rs 3,000 crore over the past 10 years. These include the Keezhathur–Kottam and Cherikkal–Kottam bridges, inaugurated in February, and the first phase of the Rs 233-crore Muzhappilangad–Dharmadam Comprehensive Beach Tourism Project, inaugurated in May 2025.
Sasidharan says Dharmadom and Pinarayi are “emotions” for Vijayan, reflected in his decision to assign two dedicated teams to handle constituency matters, one in Thiruvananthapuram and another in Dharmadom. “There is a perception that once you become Chief Minister, you forget your constituency. That’s not the case here.”
The Congress alleges that the chief minister has mainly focused on revamping existing health and educational institutions while doing little to create employment opportunities. Leaders say they often compare Vijayan with former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to highlight differences in persona and accessibility. They also allege that Vijayan is inaccessible to local functionaries, though they claim this is not publicly acknowledged.
“Anybody could have built roads and bridges and revamped existing schools and hospitals and put their name on them. It’s just to erase the place’s old history,” says N.P. Thahir Haji, chairman of the Congress campaign committee in Dharmadom.
Thahir adds that defeating Vijayan is not an unattainable task. Citing an RTI response, he claims that of the Rs 69,941 crore worth of projects approved by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board so far, Rs 34,109 crore falls under the Public Works Department, headed by Vijayan’s son-in-law minister P.A. Muhammad Riyas.
He also points out that the CPI(M) did not field any Muslim candidates in the district despite the community accounting for nearly 30 percent of the population.
“We are telling this to voters, especially in Muslim-majority areas, and people are responding. Kerala is a place where leaders like (former chief ministers) E.K.Nayanar and V.S.Achuthanandan have lost elections. Vijayan is not undefeatable here,” the Congress functionary says.
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Accessibility quotient
When the 80-year-old Vijayan was the CPI(M)’s Kannur district secretary in 1986, 77-year-old Velayudhan was then a local committee functionary in Pinarayi. “I used to go to his house to take him to party meetings,” Velayudhan recalls, sitting outside the party office in Pinarayi, adorned with campaign posters of the Chief Minister.
While Vijayan is often perceived as unapproachable, Velayudhan says he remains accessible to party workers and locals here. “I met him last month when he came here. I spoke about the need for a road in one region, and he said he would look into it,” he says, adding that Vijayan still makes it a habit to visit the homes of party workers when there is a death in their families. “Today, a senior leader passed away. His private secretary Sasi was there.”
Another party functionary, Shylesh Pinarayi, says locals understand that Vijayan cannot be physically present in the constituency full-time due to his responsibilities. The same applies to campaign activities.
The party held debates at 17 centres across the constituency in February on projects and initiatives rolled out by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. After Vijayan was declared the candidate, a large welcome event was organised upon his arrival in Kannur on 22 March, including a massive public rally from the airport to Pinarayi town, with receptions at 29 locations.
With days between the election notification and polling, the party says it organised around 2,000 family gatherings of about 60 people each across the constituency, explaining why the LDF government should return to power.
In addition, the CM sent personalised letters to voters, thanking them for their support over the past 10 years and seeking continued backing, Sasidharan says.
“As you all know, the party and the LDF have decided that I should be the candidate in this constituency this time too. You might be aware of the limitations I have as a candidate. I have to go to other parts as part of the campaign from tomorrow. I will only be back on the 4th. So, I can spend only a few days here after that,” Vijayan said then at a public event in Dharmadom.
“There are limitations in reaching and meeting everyone as a candidate. You all understand that, and I request all of you to become the candidate. My symbol is hammer, sickle and star. I request all of you to vote to ensure victory.”
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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