In elections, political parties often benefit from emotions stirred by the death of leaders. That's what CPM thought in the first ever bypoll held in Nilambur constituency in 1970. Its fiery leader, Karikkadan Kunjali, popularly known as K Kunjali, was shot dead in 1969. He had been elected twice as MLA in 1965 and 1967. In the bypoll that was held in 1970 following the demise of Kunjali, CPM candidate C P Aboobacker, however, lost to Congress (Indira) candidate M P Gangadharan.

Kerala had witnessed a political churn ahead of the bypoll. The Sapthakakshi Munnani was no more. In 1967, EMS Namboodiripad had stitched an alliance of seven parties comprising CPI, Muslim League, SSP, RSP, KTP and KSP ahead of Assembly elections. Kunjali had won the 1967 elections banking on the support of the seven political parties. Even the ardent Communist knew that retaining Nilambur wouldn't be easy especially after change in equations.

CPM had run the campaign, evoking memories of Kunjali. Among the party cadre, he was a brave heart. His political life had become a local lore in Eranad. In 1965, he won the election after he was branded a Chinese spy and was imprisoned. He had given up his career in the Air Force to plunge into politics. He took on landlords and spearheaded struggles to seize their land and distributed it for the poorer sections. Kunjali had a brashness which often landed him in conflicts. "He had an inflexible character. He would run into fights and trigger tussles," writes R K Bijuraj in the book 'The Political History of Kerala'.

Even on the day he was shot (July 26, 1969), Kunjali had returned after getting embroiled in an altercation between CITU and INTUC labourers at Chulliyode estate. Kunjali had stepped out of the party office when someone flashed a torch on his face. Blinking his eyes, Kunjali shouted who that was. The shot was fired. The bullet pierced a few inches below his heart and got stuck in his spine. Before he died two days later, Kunjali told the doctors and cops that Aryadan Muammed, then Kozhikode DCC secretary, shot him and that he was present in the Congress office near Chulliyode. Aryadan was his adversary in 1965 and 1967 when Kunjali contested from Nilambur. It was reported that the torch was flashed on his face to help the shooter identify Kunjali. The gun was recovered from a paddy field later.

The CPM fielded a 25-year-old Aboobacker to take on Gangadharan. He won 13 votes more than what Kunjali had polled in 1967, still he lost to Gangadharan by a margin of 5574 votes. Aboobacker says that there were two reasons for his defeat. "I never expected to win that election. Kunjali was a major factor, still the Sapthakakshi Munnani had fallen and CPM was fighting a lone battle. The election was on April 20. On April 16, Aryadan Muammed, who was jailed for the murder of Kunjali, was exonerated and he was released. All this influenced the voters," says 79-year-old Aboobacker, who is now the secretary of Kerala Sahitya Academy. It was his first and last fight in elections. Aboobacker then took up a job as history lecturer and never contested again.

An official statement of the CPM said that a non-Congress coalition turned out to be anti-Communist, referring to the fall of Sapthakakshi Munnani. The CPM also found another reason. "The party was engaged in struggles against police atrocity and land reform campaigns and hence the party could not add voters to the list when it was revised". The additional 13 votes polled by Aboobacker was also celebrated. "Those votes were gained when the CPM faced the elections alone. When CPM was part of the union of seven parties, Kunjali polled 25215 votes and now we got 25,228 votes by fighting the election alone," the party's statement read.