THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Some of the fiercest battles this election season will be witnessed down south - in Thiruvananthapuram district.
And many of the conflicts are sharply three-cornered, with the BJP deploying some of its top names here - state president Kummanam Rajasekharan, party veteran O Rajagopal and cricketer S Sreesanth to name a few - in its latest bid to make the lotus bloom in Kerala.
Of the 14 constituencies, Varkala, Nedumangad, Kazhakootam, Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram central, Aruvikkara, Parassala, Kattakada and Neyyatinkara are in UDF hands while LDF holds Attingal, Chirayinkeezhu, Vamanapuram, Nemom and Kovalam.
The 2011 Assembly polls had gifted the UDF only eight constituencies, but in March 2012, R Selvaraj of Neyyatinkara parted ways with the CPM and joined the Congress. In the ensuing by-election, Selvaraj won by a majority of over 6,300 votes. In 2015, the district witnessed another by-election, following the death of Speaker G Karthikeyan, the MLA of Aruvikkara. The UDF retained the seat fielding Karthikeyan's son K S Sabarinadhan, who is now facing his second election battle in 2016 from the same constituency.
The constituencies to watch out for in 2016 are Nemom, followed by Kazhakootam and Vattiyoorkavu. The local body elections of 2015 have served to considerably embolden the BJP in the district. In the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, for instance, the saffron party increased its presence from six wards to 35.
This time, BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan is pitted against Congress's K Muraleedharan and CPM's T N Seema in Vattiyoorkavu. Former union minister Rajagopal - easily BJP's most experienced candidate - battles CPM's V Sivankutty and UDF's V Surendran Pillai in Nemom. Cricketer and actor S Sreesanth emerged the surprise candidate of the BJP in Thiruvananthapuram central, where he takes on Congress's V S Sivakumar, LDF's Antony Raju (formerly of Kerala Congress (Mani)) and AIADMK's Biju Ramesh of the bar scam fame.
Former BJP state president V Muraleedharan is in the fray in Kazhakootam, facing CPM's Kadakampally Surendran and sitting MLA Congress's M A Vahid. Another former president P K
Krishnadas has been fielded by BJP in Kattakkada. In coastal Kovalam, NDA-ally Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) is putting up a stiff fight against the LDF and UDF candidates. Home to Vizhinjam, all three fronts have staked a claim to the ambitious international seaport project here, billed as one of the biggest development initiatives of the past five years. In Vamanapuram in the north - one of the larger constituencies - both the UDF and the NDA are sweating to break the Left's nearly-four-decade grip over the constituency. In Attingal, LDF hopes to retain the seat through sitting MLA B Sathyan.
Nedumangad, a sprawling constituency in the north-east of the district, is witnessing a battle of MLAs. Here, Congress's Palode Ravi, the sitting MLA, is facing senior CPI leader C Divakaran, who is the sitting MLA from Karunagapally.
Tight fight in Kollam constituencies
It can be said that Chathanoor, Punalur, Chadayamangalam and Kottarakkara are silent constituencies where sitting MLAs are way ahead of their opponents. The fight in Karunagapally will be a matter of interest as CPI district secretary R Ramachandran himself is in the fray. One thing is clear, the conspicuous presence of undercurrents combined with presence of NDA will have its own impact finally.
Hopes high for BJP in capital city
This time, BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan is pitted against Congress’s K Muraleedharan and CPM’s T N Seema in Vattiyoorkavu. Former union minister Rajagopal - easily BJP’s most experienced candidate - battles CPM’s V Sivankutty and UDF’s V Surendran Pillai in Nemom. Cricketer and actor S Sreesanth emerged the surprise candidate of the BJP in Tvm central.