Thiruvananthapuram, March 3 : A keenly watched electoral contest is shaping up in Peravoor in Kerala's Kannur district, with the CPI-M deciding to field its star leader K.K. Shailaja against state Congress President Sunny Joseph in the upcoming Assembly elections.

The decision, cleared by the Kannur district leadership on Tuesday after intense internal discussions, comes amid indications that Shailaja was initially reluctant to move out of her present constituency, Mattannur.

In 2021, she retained Mattannur with a record margin exceeding 60,000 votes, the highest in the State that year, consolidating her position as one of the Leftâ??s most recognisable faces.

Peravoor, however, presents a different political terrain. Joseph, a three-time MLA, completed a hat-trick of victories from the constituency in 2021.

The two leaders are no strangers to each other.

In 2011, when Joseph made his Assembly debut, he defeated Shailaja in Peravoor by 3,440 votes.

Reacting to the development, Joseph struck a confident note, stating that the identity of his opponent was immaterial and that the Congress-led UDF would retain the seat.

Shailaja rose to national prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic as Health Minister in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government.

When Indiaâ??s first Covid case was reported in Kerala, she became the public face of the stateâ??s containment strategy, earning widespread acclaim.

That momentum translated into her sweeping 2021 Assembly victory.

Yet, her political trajectory has seen setbacks since.

Despite speculation about her chief ministerial prospects, she was not included in the second Vijayan cabinet.

A more direct blow followed in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, when the CPI-M fielded her from Vadakara against Congress leader Shafi Parambil.

After an intense campaign, Parambil secured a decisive win.

With Shailaja preparing to begin her campaign from Mattannur, the sudden shift to Peravoor has added intrigue to the political narrative.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said no one could defeat the Congress state chief in Peravoor.

"It is for the CPI-M to decide who they should field there. But shifting Shailaja from Mattannur and giving her a losing seat would be tantamount to sidelining her," he said.

As the campaign gathers pace, Peravoor is poised to witness one of the most closely tracked contests of the upcoming Assembly polls.

/IANS