THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The electoral picture in the district crystallised on Thursday evening as the deadline for withdrawal of nomination papers came to a close. All three political fronts are locked in a fierce competition to wrest the constituencies in the capital district, where high-stakes battles are expected. According to the final list released by the Election Commission, a total of 105 candidates are in the fray across the district’s 14 constituencies.
The Thiruvananthapuram constituency has the highest number of candidates, with 11 contesting.
In this constituency which encompasses areas that could be described as the heart of the city, the principal contest is between LDF’s Sudheer Karamana, UDF’s C P John, and NDA’s Karamana Jayan.
The LDF, which holds the seat, is banking on left-backed independent and actor Sudheer Karamana, a last-minute surprise pick, to retain it.
The UDF is hoping for an upset victory through C P John, a seasoned leader who has worked in the capital for four decades.
The NDA, meanwhile, is confident that Karamana Jayan, born and raised in Thiruvananthapuram and politically active here for decades, can win the seat comfortably.
What sets this constituency apart is the absence of namesake candidates, a common feature in Kerala elections that often causes voter confusion.
Two candidates who shared the first name “John” withdrew their nominations, leaving the field clean. The contest here, it appears, will be a fair and straight one. Nemom constituency, which has the second highest number of candidates, is witnessing the most notable triangular contest in the state. Ten candidates are in the fray, including four independents.
Reclaiming Nemom, the constituency where BJP opened its account in the state for the first time, only to lose it in the last election, is a matter of survival for the party. NDA’s candidate is Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BJP’s state president. Senior CPM leader V Sivankutty, who wrested the seat from the BJP, is the LDF candidate, while K S Sabarinadhan, a young and energetic Congress leader, flies the UDF flag.
Among the independents is one whose name bears resemblance to the NDA candidate, Rajeev Kumar G S. When scrutiny concluded on Tuesday, across the 14 constituencies, 115 candidates were in the running. Ten of them subsequently withdrew their nominations, bringing the final count to the present number.
T’Puram district
Constituencies: 14
Candidates after scrutiny: 115
Candidates who opted out: 10
Final list of candidates: 105
Most candidates in Thiruvananthapuram -11 Nemom - 10
Women candidates
NDA- 3, UDF- 1, LDF- 1
No women candidates in Nedumangad, Vamanapuram, Aruvikkara, Parassala, Kattakkada, Kovalam and Neyyattinkara