IUML, which has a dominant presence in the constituency bordering Karnataka. The coastal constituency has a strong BJP presence as well, leaving the IUML and its larger partner in the UDF, the Congress, on the edge. The UDF was worried after the SDPI’s stayed firm on a contest as that would lead to a split in the minority votes. Former Kerala BJP president K Surendran is contesting from here.
The BJP, which has been expanding its footprint in the constituency since the 1980s. Its vote share has been improving since 2011 when K. Surendran first contested in the constituency. In 2016 polls, he lost by 89 votes to IUML. While the UDF is leaving no stone unturned to retain the seat, the BJP has high hopes of wresting the seat from the UDF.
While SDPI has withdrawn its candidate, Konkani Catholic candidate Gean Lavina Monteiro has chosen to remain in the fray, not heeding to similar pressures from her community members and the Church elders. The constituency has a few thousand Christian voters.
SDPI had fielded Ashraf KM (44), and he reluctantly backed off on orders from the party. The party, the alleged political wing of the banned Popular Front of India, was firm on a contest, miffed at IUML’s attempts to weaken it.
One of the reasons SDPI’s actions came under the sharp lens of the local Muslim leaders was that the name of the IUML’s sitting MLA is also AKM Ashraf. The community leaders saw a potential split of the Muslim votes between the two Ashrafs as their initials also appeared similar and the SDPI claims loyal support of a few thousand Muslim votes.
SDPI’s Ashraf, a real estate businessman in the UAE, however, quit all party positions in response to what he attributed to the sentiments of his followers, clearly angry over his party’s last minute aboutface.
