KOCHI: Once the capital of the erstwhile kingdom of Kochi, Tripunithura reverberates with dance, music, and drama.
The Hill Palace Museum, the colourful festivals of Poornathrayeesa temple, the grand palaces, the colleges of classical arts, and the Carnatic music festivals showcase the vibrant heritage of the temple town.
The assembly constituency of Tripunithura, which constitutes a portion of Kochi corporation, the municipalities of Tripunithura and Maradu, and the grama panchayats of Udayamperoor and Kumbalam, reflects a rich blend of different cultures and faiths. It is the prominent Ezhava community that holds sway in Tripunithura, while Nairs and Dheevaras too have a significant presence. Scheduled castes, Muslims, Syrian Catholics, and Latin Catholics are concentrated in certain pockets.
The recent victory in Tripunithura municipality has ignited hopes for the BJP, hoping to win the constituency. But the reality is that the party has only around 30,000 votes and will need to double the vote base to defeat the two major fronts. Former minister and senior Congress leader K Babu, who represented the constituency for six terms, has significant influence at the grassroot level, which has helped the UDF to win the seat despite the strong influence of the CPM. Though M Swaraj had beaten Babu in 2016, the latter was able to reclaim his bastion in 2021, however, with a slender margin.
The Communist Party has a strong presence in Udayamperoor and the Palluruthy area of Kochi corporation. However, the recent local body elections have proved that the Congress still holds sway in these areas.
In Tripunithura municipality, the Congress got only 12 seats but it was better than the party’s performance in 2020. The UDF was able to win the Maradu municipality and the panchayats of Udayamperoor and Kumbalam. In the Palluruthy region, the CPM was able to guard its bastion, conceding only two of the nine divisions there to the UDF.
“The narrative that the BJP is going to capture Tripunithura led to an erosion of anti-CPM votes to the saffron party in Tripunithura municipality,” said Congress spokesperson Raju P Nair.
“In other areas, the Congress has demolished the CPM dominance. We can win the constituency with a margin of around 10,000 votes. Only in the Palluruthy area did the UDF face a setback. But that was due to some local issues and it will be solved before the election,” he said.
Meanwhile, the CPM is optimistic of reclaiming the constituency, with reports suggesting that Babu may withdraw from the contest due to health issues. The party is considering former Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar for the seat. There are reports that the party may also consider former district secretary C N Mohanan or K S Arunkumar.
Among the Congress’ probable candidates, Raju P Nair is expected to get a chance if Babu refuses to contest. KPCC general secretary M Liju is also being considered for the seat. The BJP is considering spokespersons P R Sivasankar and K V S Haridas for the seat.
Local bodies under Tripunithura assembly constituency
Tripunithura municipality (53 seats)
Maradu muncipality (35 seats)9 wards of Kochi corporation (9 seats)
Udayamperoor panchayat (23)
Kumbalam panchayat (19)