THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: What an irony, you might think. Aruvikkara is, in every sense, the water source of Thiruvananthapuram city. The mini dam and treatment plants here supply the capital’s drinking water. Yet some residents of Aruvikkara itself are struggling through a severe water crisis. Pipelines across several parts of the constituency run dry. In this assembly election, the most talked-about issue in Aruvikkara is the very resource it gives away - water.
The list of election grievances also includes wildlife attacks in the hilly regions and the lack of good roads and transport connectivity in tribal areas.
The LDF’s candidate is sitting MLA and CPM leader G Stephen. Party workers credit him chiefly with bringing the constituency’s main roads up to standard. Steephen himself points to a broader record. “We have made significant strides in infrastructure development. Not just roads, but schools and everything in between. Of the 59 schools in the constituency, 29 received funds for new buildings. I consider it as a major achievement,” he says.
He also mentions funds sanctioned for the construction of several bridges. Stephen is confident the voters will judge on performance and that he has nothing to fear.
Aruvikkara was carved out of parts of Nedumangad taluk in the old Aryanad constituency, along with sections of Kattakada. Once a Left stronghold, the seat fell to Congress in 1991 through G Karthikeyan. After his death, a 2015 by-election brought his son Sabarinadhan to power. Sabarinadhan held on in 2016, but lost to Stephen in 2021 by a margin of 5,046 votes.
The UDF has fielded Congress leader and former minister V S Sivakumar. He is confident of reclaiming what Stephen took. “Our senior leader G Karthikeyan represented this constituency for over 25 years. The party has deep roots here. The real development happened under him and his son. And today, people of Aruvikkara and across Kerala are hungry for change,” he says.
The NDA’s candidate is Vivek Gopan, a young television serial actor well known to Kerala’s homemakers. He entered the race late, but carries his confidence lightly. “The BJP made major gains here in the local body elections. We can win this,” he says.