Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 | Biryani buzz spices up triangular fight in Palakkad

LDF candidate N M R Razak is one of the leading members of the family that runs the NMR Biriyani House outlets in Palakkad popular for the 'Rawther biryani'.

Thiruvananthapuram: Amidst the tight triangular contest at Palakkad Assembly seat in Kerala, no surprise if biryani steals the show.

The surprise candidate of CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) is a hotelier who runs a popular biryani house in Palakkad - NMR Biriyani House.

LDF candidate N M R Razak is one of the leading members of the family that runs the NMR Biriyani House outlets in Palakkad popular for the 'Rawther biriyani'.

BJP's firebrand leader Sobha Surendran, who is pinning high hopes of winning the seat in which the party was runner-up in the last three elections, is not just facing the threat of the biryani's fame, but a celebrity clout too as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has fielded known actor, TV personality and stand-up comedian Ramesh Pisharody.

As soon as the CPI(M) announced Razak as party backed independent candidate, the NMR Biriyani House also started receiving wider attention.

It was in 2009-10 that the Razak and brothers started the biryani house with their mother's recipe as the highlight.

Rawther biryani has its roots in adjacent parts of Tamil Nadu like Pollachi. Unlike the common biryani recipes in which meat and rice are cooked separately, in Rawther biryani both rice and meat are cooked together.

NMR Biryani House, which now has four outlets in Palakkad, is a favourite spot of food vloggers. It offers mutton, chicken and beef biriyani as well as other dishes. 

In the 2021 Assembly elections, Palakkad constituency received much attention as 'Metro man' E Sreedharan was BJP candidate. He lost to Congress candidate Shafi Parambil by just 3,859 votes.

In 2016 Sobha contested in Palakkad and brought the BJP to the second place, pushing the LDF to the third place, even as she lost to Shafi by 17,483 votes.