KOLLAM: Kottarakkara is set for a triangular contest this time, with shifting political loyalties adding zing to the race.
Former MLA P Aisha Potty, who won the seat in 2006 as an LDF candidate by defeating veteran R Balakrishna Pillai, is now contesting as a UDF candidate.
Her move to the front in January has turned the spotlight on the constituency. She will take on sitting MLA and Transport Minister K N Balagopal, the CPM candidate seeking a second term.
Meanwhile, the NDA has fielded R Resmi, who finished runner-up as a Congress candidate in the 2021 election.
Aisha’s victory in 2006 had marked the decline of the long-standing ‘Pillai era’ in Kottarakkara. She went on to retain the seat for three consecutive terms. In 2021, however, she was denied a ticket, and Balagopal was fielded instead. LDF is banking on its development record in the constituency.
Its campaign highlights projects such as the Kottarakkara IT Park, the ‘Work Near Home’ initiative, a proposed Drone Park, the Zoho campus, the Government Nursing College, and the ongoing bypass construction.
The UDF, meanwhile, is relying heavily on Aisha Potty’s personal connect with voters. It is also foregrounding projects implemented during her 15-year tenure as MLA, including the mini civil station, Parakkadavu bridge, fire station and the rural SP headquarters.
Party leaders believe her past performance — securing 55% of the votes and doubling her victory margin to 42,632 in 2016 — could help attract a section of Left voters.
The NDA, meanwhile, is hoping to build on Resmi’s performance in 2021, when she secured 57,976 votes.
Residents believe the outcome is far from certain. “With twists and turns, this one is shaping up to be a close fight,” says Reema Mary Mathew, a resident.