K. Muraleedharan, the son of veteran Congress leader K. Karunakaran, has announced that he will not be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from his Vadakara seat in Kozhikode. Despite not being a candidate, Muraleedharan stated that he will play a prominent role in the election campaign. He expressed confidence in the Congress party’s chances of winning in Vadakara, claiming that any Congress candidate would emerge victorious.
This decision by Muraleedharan has attracted attention due to his longstanding aspirations of becoming the Chief Minister, following in the footsteps of his father. Muraleedharan’s political journey has been filled with triumphs and setbacks. In 1989, he unexpectedly won the Kozhikode Lok Sabha seat, defeating veteran CPI(M) leader E.K. Imbichi Baba. This victory established his father, Karunakaran, as the undisputed leader of the Congress unit in Kerala.
However, Muraleedharan’s tenure as a legislator was not without challenges. He experienced mixed results in subsequent Lok Sabha elections, winning in 1999 but losing in 2004. The latter defeat came after he was appointed to the cabinet of A.K. Antony, which led to internal party conflicts. As a result, he was compelled to resign as Minister.
In response to these developments, Karunakaran formed a new party and appointed Muraleedharan as the state president. During this period, Muraleedharan took every opportunity to criticize the Congress. Eventually, a reconciliation occurred, and he rejoined the Congress party. In the 2011 and 2016 assembly elections, Muraleedharan won seats as a Congress leader.
His most recent political success came in the form of winning the 2019 general elections, securing a Lok Sabha seat from Vadakara. He then played a crucial role in the 2021 Assembly polls, contesting from the Nemom seat to counter the BJP’s influence. Although he finished third, his presence helped the Congress-backed candidate achieve victory, resulting in the BJP losing its sole Assembly seat in the state. Given his accomplishments, all eyes are now on Muraleedharan’s next move, as he has expressed a strong desire to return to state politics and aims to become the first father-son duo to occupy the Chief Minister’s chair.
