4 days ago
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The Vattiyurkavu Assembly constituency in Thiruvananthapuram is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in the upcoming election, with all three major political fronts preparing for a high-stakes contest. The constituency’s unpredictable electoral behaviour has added to the excitement, encouraging the fronts to consider fielding prominent candidates.
The core areas of the present-day Vattiyurkavu constituency were part of the erstwhile Trivandrum-II Assembly constituency from 1957 to 1977, and later the Trivandrum North constituency until the 2011 Assembly election. The region has notable political history, having elected former Chief Minister Pattom Thanu Pillai to the State Legislature twice, in 1957 and 1960.
In 2008 delimitation
The Vattiyurkavu constituency was carved out of Trivandrum North during the 2008 delimitation by including several wards of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation as well as portions of the Kazhakuttam, Vattiyurkavu and Kudappanakunnu grama panchayats.
For several years after its formation, Vattiyurkavu was widely regarded as a safe seat for the Congress. Senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan won the constituency twice, in 2011 and 2016.
In the 2011 Assembly election, Mr. Muraleedharan defeated Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Cherian Philip by a margin of 16,167 votes. He retained the seat in 2016 by defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan by 7,622 votes, while CPI(M) candidate T.N. Seema finished third.
Toehold for CPI(M)
The political equation shifted in 2019 when Mr. Muraleedharan contested the Vadakara Lok Sabha seat, triggering a by-election in Vattiyurkavu. In that contest, CPI(M) candidate V.K. Prasanth won the seat for the LDF with a margin of 14,465 votes over United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate K. Mohankumar.
Mr. Prasanth further consolidated his position in the 2021 Assembly election, as he retained the seat with a margin of 21,515 votes. He defeated BJP candidate V.V. Rajesh, who is currently the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, while Congress candidate Veena S. Nair finished third. The LDF is expected to renominate Mr. Prasanth as it looks to maintain its hold on the constituency. Determined to regain lost ground, the Congress leadership is considering fielding Mr. Muraleedharan.
BJP confident
The BJP, meanwhile, has almost finalised former Director General of Police R. Sreelekha, presently a councillor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate.
The coalition enters the race with optimism, citing encouraging performances in the Lok Sabha and recent local body elections. It firmly believes the political mood in the constituency is favourable for a breakthrough, citing the leads of 8,162 votes and 2,497 votes it secured within the Assembly segment in the respective polls.
Vattiyurkavu has a sizable Hindu voter base, with the Nair community forming the largest segment. Ezhava and Dalit communities also have a significant presence, while Christian and Muslim voters together account for roughly one-fourth of the electorate. The constituency has 1,63,063 registered voters, including 77,550 men, 85,510 women and three transgender voters.
In the previous election, the electorate stood at 2,08,543, of whom 1,37,636 cast their ballots. However, following the recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, the number of voters has dropped by more than 45,000.
Info:
Electorate 2026:
Male: 77,550
Female: 85,510
Transgender: 3
Total: 1,63,063
Votes polled by major candidates in Vattiyurkavu Assembly segment in the 2024 General election:
Rajeev Chandrasekhar (BJP): 53,025 (secured a margin of 8,162 votes)
Shashi Tharoor (Congress): 44,863
Pannian Raveendran (CPI): 28,336
Votes polled by major candidates in the 2021 Assembly election:
V.K. Prasanth [CPI(M)]: 61,111 (won by a margin of 21,515 votes)
V.V. Rajesh (BJP): 39,596
Veena S. Nair (Congress): 35,455
Total votes polled: 1,37,636
Votes polled by major candidates in the 2019 Assembly byelection:
V.K. Prasanth [CPI(M)]: 54,830 (won by a margin of 14,465 votes)
K. Mohankumar (Congress): 40,365
S. Suresh (BJP): 27,453
Total votes polled: 1,23,090
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