The Peravoor Assembly constituency in Kannur is gearing up for a closely watched contest as KK Shailaja of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) takes on three-time MLA Sunny Joseph of the Indian National Congress. The BJP-led NDA has fielded Paily Vathiattu, the state general secretary of BDJS, a political party founded by Thushar Vellapally, son of SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan.
A traditional stronghold of the United Democratic Front, Peravoor has largely backed the Congress since 1977. Located near the Karnataka border, the constituency is a relatively calm, agrarian belt with a mix of rural and semi-urban areas, where issues like human-animal conflict remain a major concern.
The Left's decision to field Shailaja signals a serious bid to reclaim the seat and expand its base. As polling approaches on April 9, the key question is whether Shailaja can break the Congress hold or if Sunny Joseph will secure a fourth consecutive victory.
Key candidates
The Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM), the Indian National Congress, and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) are the main parties in the state. The key candidates for the Peravoor seat are CPM candidate KK Shailaja, Congress leader Sunny Joseph, and BDJS's K Paily Vathyattu, among others.
Peravoor Assembly constituency
The Peravoor Assembly constituency is one of the 140 constituencies in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. It is constituency number 16 of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. The constituency is a general seat not reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Peravoor is a key legislative assembly constituency in Kerala that comes under the Kannur district. Peravoor Assembly constituency comes under Kannur Lok Sabha constituency.
Peravoor Constituency Demographic Profile
As per data from the Election Commission, there were 1,77,249 voters in the Peravoor constituency during the 2021 Assembly Elections. Out of this, 86,704 were male, and 90,544 were female voters. One voter who belonged to the third gender. 5,005 postal votes were cast in the constituency. The number of service voters in Peravoor in 2021 was 569 (552 men and 17 women).
In 2016, the total number of voters in the Peravoor constituency was 1,67,462. Out of this, 81,843 voters were male, 85,619 were female, and zero belonged to a third gender. There were 833 postal votes in the constituency. The number of service voters in Peravoor in 2015 was 868 (602 men and 266 women).
What happened in the 2021 and 2016 Assembly Elections?
In the 2021 Kerala Assembly Elections, Congress candidate Sunny Joseph won the Peravoor seat with a margin of 3,172 votes (2.22%). He polled 66,706 votes with a vote share of 46.93%. He defeated CPI(M) candidate KV Sakkeer Hussain, who got 63,534 votes with a vote share of 44.7%. BJP candidate Smitha Jayamohan stood third with 9,155 votes (6.44%).
In the 2016 Kerala Assembly Elections, Congress candidate Sunny Joseph won the Peravoor seat with a margin of 7,989 votes (5.85%). He polled 65,659 votes with a vote share of 48.10%. He defeated CPI(M) candidate Binoy Kurian, who got 57,670 votes with a vote share of 42.25%. BDJS candidate Paily Vathiattu stood third with 9,129 votes (6.69%).
