THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With former minister Antony Raju getting embroiled in a legal knot, the Thiruvananthapuram Central assembly constituency has emerged as a bone of contention with several aspirants making a beeline for the seat ahead of the poll.
Developments related to the case have triggered intense behind-the-scenes activity across parties, with several leaders positioning themselves as potential contenders for the seat. Though Congress candidates have been contesting in the constituency for the past four assembly elections, the CMP has expressed interest to contest in the seat it once held, after 25 years.
The CMP has decided to seek the Thiruvananthapuram Central seat for its general secretary, C P John, and the Kunnamangalam constituency in Kozhikode by swapping the Nenmara seat in Palakkad, in which the party contested in the last election.
It has also decided to contest two winning seats instead of three. However, with Congress aspirants now openly staking claims, the scramble for Thiruvananthapuram Central has heated up. All three fronts consider the constituency as politically significant due to its urban profile and visibility.
Sources in UDF said uncertainty over the candidature of LDF’s Raju has opened up the field, prompting both seasoned and fresh aspirants to step up efforts to secure Congress leadership’s backing.
“The CMP is not making a fresh claim over the seat,” said a senior leader. “Our leader M V Raghavan had won from Thiruvananthapuram West (now Central) in 2001. We later handed over the sitting seat to Congress. Hence, staking the claim again is only a formality,” he said.
The contest for the seat has increasingly turned into a show of strength within the UDF, primarily between C P John and former minister and two-time MLA V S Sivakumar.
John, who is also the UDF state secretary, has a deep-rooted relationship with the constituency dating back to his student politics days as an SFI state office-bearer. He has been a key campaign strategist for Congress candidates in both the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha and assembly elections since 1998. The CMP is pinning its hope on Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan’s assurance that Congress would allot John a winnable seat in the coming assembly polls.
Meanwhile, V S Sivakumar who won the seat in 2011 and 2016 before losing it in 2021, is attempting a comeback into mainstream politics through this election. Dismissing reports of a possible shift to another constituency, Sivakumar said he enjoys strong support in the coastal belts and among minority communities.
KPCC general secretary Manacaud Suresh has also emerged as a strong contender. His supporters argue that a fresh face is required to block BJP’s advance in the constituency. KPCC V-P T Saratchandra Prasad and corporation UDF leader K S Sabarinathan are also being considered, further complicating the UDF’s choice.