The political murders in north Kerala have periodically grabbed attention when many killings take place in a short span of time or someone well known is killed, like the recent murder of ex-CPI(M) member T P Chandrasekharan. However little is understood of why these killings occur. This article argues that it is a combination of the demands of electoral democracy and the familial modes in which political affiliation is understood which produces the conditions where death and martyrdom become normalised.
