TM Siddique resigns; CPM stronghold Ponnani sees grassroots backlash over Sakeer’s candidature

Malappuram: The resignation of CPM leader TM Siddique from his role as coordinator of the Ponnani Assembly constituency election committee has exposed underlying discontent among the local party leadership over the candidature of MK Sakeer in Ponnani.

Siddique, a long-standing district secretariat member of the party, officially cited “health reasons” for stepping down. However, sources indicate that his resignation is a silent protest against Sakeer’s candidature.

The current tensions echo past controversies in the constituency. In the 2021 Assembly elections, local party workers had expected Siddique to be fielded. Instead, the party chose P Nandakumar as its candidate. The decision sparked widespread dissent, with large-scale protests and rallies demanding Siddique’s nomination.

Despite the backlash, the party stuck to its choice, and Nandakumar went on to win the seat by a comfortable margin of 17,043 votes, securing 74,668 votes against Congress candidate A M Rohit, who managed 57,625 votes.

This time around, local cadres had hoped Siddique would finally be given the nod. Instead, the state leadership has fielded Sakeer, the former chairman of the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) and former Kerala State Waqf Board chairman.

Critics at the grassroots argue that Sakeer has limited ties to Ponnani and that fielding him risks weakening the party's stronghold in a constituency that has traditionally been considered a safe seat for the Left, even without relying on independent candidates.

Historically, Ponnani has been a CPM bastion. In 2016, P Sreeramakrishnan defeated Congress' P T Ajay Mohan by a margin of 15,640 votes, underscoring the party’s consistent strength in the region.