Kannur (Kerala), July 30 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Thursday issued notice to Payyannur MLA V. Kunhikrishnan on an election petition filed by former MLA T.I. Madhusoodanan, who has sought to set aside the former’s victory in one of the most politically sensitive constituencies in the State.

Madhusoodanan, who represented Payyannur in the previous Assembly, alleged that his defeat was the result of a sustained campaign of false propaganda.

In his petition, he contended that Kunhikrishnan’s campaign falsely branded him as a ‘Martyr fund thief’, accusing him of misappropriating funds meant for the families of martyrs, without any documentary evidence to support the charge.

The petition alleges that the campaign deliberately portrayed him as a tainted public figure, misleading voters, and materially influencing the election outcome.

On this basis, Madhusoodanan has sought to have Kunhikrishnan’s election declared void.

While issuing notice, the High Court indicated that it would first examine whether the election petition is maintainable, as certain procedural defects have reportedly been noticed in the plea.

Reacting to the court notice, Kunhikrishnan said there was nothing unusual about the legal challenge.

“Anyone has the right to approach the judiciary with their grievance. We will also deal with it accordingly,” he said.

The case assumes political significance far beyond a routine election dispute.

Payyannur is regarded as one of the CPI-M’s strongest ideological bastions in Kannur, the party’s organisational heartland and the district with its largest cadre base.

The 2026 Assembly election dealt an unprecedented blow to the CPI-M in Kannur when two prominent party rebels, Kunhikrishnan in Payyannur and T.K. Govindan in Thaliparambu, contested with the backing of the Congress-led UDF and scored emphatic victories over official CPI-M candidates.

The defeats were particularly painful for the Left party as both constituencies have long been considered among its most emotionally and politically significant strongholds.

With the election now coming under judicial scrutiny, the Payyannur verdict is set to remain in the political spotlight even after the ballots have been counted.

But what’s even more baffling through this notice is that it comes a few days after the party, in its assessment on the reasons for the debacle, had admitted that there were issues in candidate selection.

–IANS

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