THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kollam is emerging as one of the state’s most closely watched battlegrounds in the run-up to the assembly elections, with shifting voter loyalties and narrowing margins turning it into a classic swing seat. The CPM, which has held Kollam since 2006, faces its toughest challenge yet after the UDF made significant gains in the 2025 local body elections, signalling the erosion of absolute Left dominance.
The constituency is currently represented by actor-turned-politician M Mukesh, who won comfortably in 2016 with a margin of 17,611 votes against Congress’ Sooraj Ravi but saw his lead collapse to just 2,072 votes in 2021 against Bindu Krishna. While Mukesh polled 58,524 votes, Bindu secured 56,452 votes, underscoring UDF’s growing strength.
The BJP, represented by M Sunil, maintained a steady presence with 14,252 votes, a figure that, while not enough to win, has the potential to influence margins in a tight race. UDF’s momentum was further reinforced in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, when RSP’s N K Premachandran defeated Mukesh by over 1.5 lakh votes, a result widely seen as a referendum on the Left’s urban governance.
As 2026 approaches, the CPM is recalibrating its strategy, with reports suggesting Mukesh will not be fielded again due to his narrow victories and personal controversies.
“The development work undertaken in the past 10 years will help the LDF retain the seat. Even in the recent local body election, the LDF received the most number of votes. Anti-incumbency factor is negligible though there could be opinions against individuals,” said G Lalu, a former councillor and member of the CPI state council.
Names such as district acting secretary S Jayamohan and former district panchayat president P K Gopan are being discussed as possible successors.
On the other hand, the UDF is buoyed by its Lok Sabha triumph and the strong performance in the Kollam corporation polls, where it tapped into urban grievances over stalled infrastructure projects and the decline of traditional industries.
“There is a clear advantage for the Congress in the Kollam constituency. Several development projects started during the UDF tenure have been stalled over the past 10 years. The development of the port, Ashramam Link Road, and the Perumon bridge have been stalled. The laxity on the part of the LDF government to start the ESI medical college has fuelled anti-incumbency sentiments,” said Kadakampally Manoj, a former district secretary of the INTUC.
While Bindu Krishna remains a strong contender, discussions within the UDF suggest the possibility of fielding a candidate with a stronger profile to maximise spillover gains in neighbouring constituencies where the alliance lost narrowly in previous elections.
Meanwhile, NDA’s performance in Kollam has followed a clear upward trajectory. In the 2025 local body elections, the BJP-led front registered a significant breakthrough by doubling its tally -- rising from six seats in 2020 to 12 now. The 2020 polls laid the groundwork for the growth, and by 2025, the NDA had consolidated its presence further, winning five wards within the Kollam assembly constituency.
The BJP, though still a distant third, continues to hover around the 10-11% mark in terms of vote share and could play spoiler in a constituency where margins are razor-thin. Kollam’s electorate is diverse, with Ezhava voters forming a significant bloc that has traditionally leaned Left but is increasingly fragmented, Nair voters in urban wards swinging between fronts, Christian minorities forming a strong UDF base, and Muslim voters generally supporting UDF.