This constituency is witnessing one of the crucial hotly contested races in Kerala this time. It is going to be between Chandrasekhar and CPI(M) veteran and basic training and labor minister V. Shivankutty, who wrested Nemom seat from the BJP in 2021.
The LDF is hoping that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led authorities’s observe report and Mr. Shivankutty’s observe report and familiarity with the constituency will assist it retain the seat.
In Nemom’s case, public sentiment on the bottom, historic tendencies and insights from political analysts counsel the competition could possibly be determined by the variety of votes Congress casts right here. The occasion has fielded KPCC chief KS Sabarinadhan, former MLA and present MP from Koudiyar ward in Thiruvananthapuram metropolis, from this seat.
Political analyst KP Sethnath informed ThePrint that the ruling CPI(M) might win if Sabarinadhan secures sufficient votes.
“If Mr. Sabarinadhan can get the identical variety of votes as Mr. Ok. Muraleedharan (in 2021), it is going to give Mr. Sivankutty a good probability. Mr. Muraleedharan had expertise in campaigning and had attain amongst occasion cadres and other people. Nevertheless, successful that vote will probably be a turning level for Mr. Sabarinadhan, because the Congress praised Mr. Muraleedharan for paving the best way when Mr. Shivankkutty received final time (2021),” he defined.
Sethnath added that Nemom’s loss will probably be a serious setback for each the Bharatiya Janata Get together and Rajiv Chandrasekhar. However the occasion could not be capable to change it anytime quickly, as it’s taking part in an extended recreation in Kerala and expands its general vote share with every election cycle.
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Adjoining to the center of Thiruvananthapuram, Nemom Municipal Company contains a number of city wards of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Company and the coastal areas of the district.
The Congress constituency has traditionally supported each the Congress and the Left, and was as soon as represented by former Congress chief minister Ok. Karunakaran. In 2016, the BJP’s O. Rajagopal made headlines once more when he defeated the then sitting MLA Shivankutty by a margin of 8,671 votes.
This was the Bharatiya Janata Get together’s solely and first-ever victory within the Kerala Meeting elections.
Mr. Rajagopal, one of the crucial senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Get together in Kerala and a two-time Rajya Sabha member, fought practically 30 completely different elections earlier than successful his first election. In contrast to many different Bharatiya Janata Get together leaders within the state, his non-confrontational model made him widespread. He generally spoke extremely of his political opponents, even placing his occasion in hassle.
Nevertheless, in 2021, the BJP has fielded Kumannam Rajasekaran to retain the Nemom seat. He was up in opposition to Mr. Shivankutty and Mr. Ok. Muraleedharan of the Congress. In a bitter triangular contest, Mr. Shivankutty emerged victorious with a margin of three,949 votes. However probably the most notable issue was the distinction within the variety of votes forged by Congress or UDF candidates.
In 2016, UDF candidate JD(U) chief and former minister V. Surendran Pillai had secured solely 13,860 votes in opposition to Shivankutty’s 59,142 votes and Rajagopal’s 67,813 votes.
Nevertheless, in 2021, Congress’s Ok. Muraleedharan elevated the UDF’s vote share to 36,524 votes, whereas the BJP’s vote share decreased to 51,888 votes, whereas Sivankutty’s vote share remained nearly unchanged at 55,837 votes.
The native CPI(M) is relying on this electoral arithmetic.
RP Sivaji, CPI(M) Thiruvananthapuram district workplace member from Nemom, stated LDF’s victory is a completed deal if UDF maintains its vote share. He stated the occasion considers Mr. Sabarinadhan as a candidate who can consolidate the votes of the Congress occasion.
Mr. Shivankutty, a CPI(M) candidate, hails from Thiruvananthapuram and is a state commissioner. He began his political life as an adolescent via the CPI(M)’s pupil wing SFI, rose via the ranks to develop into the mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, and was elected MLA from Thiruvananthapuram East constituency in 2006. After successful in 2021, he was given the overall training and labor portfolios.
Sivankutty’s tenure as a minister was marked by the reforms launched within the training sector of Kerala throughout this era. These embrace the introduction of gender-neutral textbooks, enhancements to public college infrastructure, and up to date reforms to scale back the load of college baggage and abolish the idea of backbenchers.
In 2025, Shivankutty additionally got here ahead to assist an eighth grade pupil who was barred from coming into a church-run college in Kochi whereas carrying a hijab on account of college uniform insurance policies. The incident sparked widespread criticism from church teams in Kerala.
“There is no such thing as a have to introduce our candidate. He has been working with the individuals of the district for a while now and rising from grassroots politics. Each household is aware of about him,” CPI(M)’s Nemom election marketing campaign coordinator S. Pushparatha stated of Shivankutty. A number of native residents ThePrint spoke to additionally shared this sentiment.
Biju C, who runs a grocery retailer within the Mudavanmughal space of the constituency, stated Shivankutty is accessible to voters, vibrant throughout floods and pandemics, and has a responsive and environment friendly workplace. “I went to ask him to a housewarming perform. He couldn’t attend. However just a few days later he despatched a letter conveying his needs,” Biju stated, including that the CPI(M) misplaced management of the Thiruvananthapuram Company as a result of unpopularity and poor entry of the then mayor Arya Rajendran and different councillors.
Technocrats are “completely different”
“I’m your candidate. Remember to vote,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar greeted a gaggle of ladies on his option to a neighborhood temple as a part of his election marketing campaign.
As he was leaving, a middle-aged lady within the crowd stated, “It is for the RSS.”
Her pal rapidly chimed in, replying, “He is not nearly being RSS. There is a distinction.”
The incident captured the essence of the BJP’s prospects in Nemom.
The BJP believes it has a great probability of successful again the seat it received in 2016 by rolling out its occasion construction and projecting Mr Chandrasekhar as a technocrat who’s above “partisan and controversial politics”.
“Folks know that if Rajeev Chandrasekhar wins, there will probably be massive modifications within the constituency,” stated Rajesh Koliyur, a Bharatiya Janata Get together official in Nemom who’s coordinating the occasion’s election marketing campaign right here.
He stated the Bharatiya Janata Get together’s marketing campaign in Kerala has a brand new dimension this time – the promise of ‘Vikshit Keralam’.
Koliyur reasoned that the occasion can not retain Nemom in 2021 as he couldn’t carry out previously 5 years on account of Rajagopal’s superior age. He stated Shivankutty additionally benefited from the information that if he received, he could be appointed as a minister.
Rajesh R., one other Communist Get together of India official from Nemom, stated Chandrasekhar was in a position to change the picture of the Bharatiya Janata Get together as a communal occasion by guaranteeing the presence of Christians and Muslims. “He solely talks about growth. Only some individuals discuss like that. And other people prefer it very a lot. In contrast to others, he could possibly result in very massive modifications,” he stated.
Born right into a Malayali household in Gujarat, Rajeev Chandrasekhar has centered on increasing the Bharatiya Janata Get together’s footprint in Kerala via development-centered campaigns and campaigns concentrating on different governments to the UDF and LDF over “corruption” and “misgovernance.”
Chandrasekhar, a former Rajya Sabha MP who has beforehand labored with the likes of Intel and Softek, has repeatedly stated his Bharatiya Janata Get together plans to run a development-focused and “non-controversial” election marketing campaign in Kerala, however the occasion has greater than as soon as cited the Sabarimala cash scandal to courtroom votes from the Hindu neighborhood, referred to as the CPI(M) a “temple thief” and focused the Congress for its alliance with the CPI(M). Jamaat-e-Islam.
One of many first massive occasions organized by Chandrasekhar after taking on because the Kerala BJP chief from Ok. Surendran was to carry a ‘Vikshit Keralam Conference’ throughout the 30 occasion districts within the state. In contrast to earlier state BJP leaders who had RSS hyperlinks, he has projected himself as a frontrunner who curtails anti-minority rhetoric and will increase illustration of Christian neighborhood officers throughout the occasion.
Chandrasekhar was contesting the 2024 meeting elections from Thiruvananthapuram metropolis and misplaced the Nemom meeting election to Congress’ Shashi Tharoor by a margin of 16,077 votes. Notably, Rajeev Chandrasekhar had a transparent lead within the Nemom class at the moment, securing 61,227 votes in opposition to Tharoor’s 39,101 votes.
The Bharatiya Janata Get together can be significantly assured of its victory within the Nemom election after successful the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Company for the primary time within the 2025 native physique elections. Of the 23 ward meeting members in Nemom ward, 17 belong to the BJP.
Each the BJP officers ThePrint spoke to stated that the occasion had launched a booth-level marketing campaign final yr with help from the RSS. Koliyur added that the occasion would additionally profit from the constituency’s Hindu majority and stop minority votes from consolidating into the occasion, a development seen in lots of different meeting seats within the state.
He stated the occasion’s election marketing campaign in Nemom is principally centered on conferences with key and influential voters, temple visits and rallies at arterial intersections.
“As a politician, you do not have many issues to say clearly to your voters. However with the RSS, you are able to do that,” Rajesh says. Based on BJP leaders, the Sangh’s grassroots motion performed a key function within the occasion’s victory within the native physique polls. The Sangh is at the moment organizing ‘Hindu Ekta Samerans’ throughout the nation as a part of its centenary celebrations.
As for Mr. Chandrasekhar, the Central Financial institution of Kerala chief needed to cope with an issue earlier this week after the Congress alleged that he didn’t disclose a luxurious residence in Bengaluru’s Koramangala in his election affidavit.
“His affidavit means that he doesn’t even personal a home or a automotive regardless of being a billionaire businessman,” the Congress’s Kerala unit wrote about X.
Chandrasekhar drew criticism once more earlier this week.sannyasisComprises ‘,’Aghori Sadhulanded in Thiruvananthapuram from Uttar Pradesh for his election marketing campaign. Quickly, movies of monks blessing the Bharatiya Janata Get together candidate appeared on Malayalam tv channels and social media. This left Chandrasekhar below assault from the Congress and CPI(M).
He replied, “I did not invite you.”sannyasis‘I campaigned for him.
Past Nemom: The Bharatiya Janata Get together’s Thiruvananthapuram hopes
Whereas Nemom carries nice significance on account of his political historical past, the Bharatiya Janata Get together can be eyeing victory within the Kazhakottam constituency in the identical district, the place former Union minister V. Muraleedharan and former CPI(M) minister Kadakampally Surendran are dealing with off.
The occasion can be hoping that its candidate R. Sreelekha, a former IPS officer, will result in a triangular election in opposition to sitting CPI(M) MLA VK Prashant and senior Congress chief Ok. Muraleedharan within the Wattiyoorkavu constituency within the district.
“We do not have excessive expectations in Wattiyoorkavu. However nobody has a foul opinion about Sreelekha. Equally, in Kazhakoottam, Mr. V. Muraleedharan has been repeatedly campaigning. Every time he has been in a position to enhance the votes. So, now we have excessive expectations in Kazhakkoottam,” P. Asok, senior chief of the Kerala Folks’s Get together, informed ThePrint. The occasion added that it hopes the “Hindu wave” triggered by the Sabarimala incident will work in its favor.
For the reason that Nineteen Eighties, the BJP, with the help of the RSS, has constructed up a powerful cadre base in Thiruvananthapuram through the years. This led to the formation of the Hindu Munnani, a right-wing group keen to make use of violence on the Kanyakumari border in 1980.
Within the 1984 basic elections, the Munnani faction fielded the Travancore royal household’s Kerala Varma Raja from Thiruvananthapuram, securing 19.80% of the vote, second solely to the Congress (43%) and the Lok Dal (33.41%). The BJP fielded its personal candidate P. Ashok Kumar in 1989, however he obtained solely 7.47 per cent of the votes. The occasion slowly elevated its vote share, however in consequence, the Congress’ vote share additionally step by step declined.
For instance, Tharoor’s margin of victory within the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat was 16,077 votes in opposition to Rajeev Chandrasekhar in 2024, which was near 100,000 votes in 2009.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP AA Rahim summed it up as follows: “The BJP can not win any seats in Thiruvananthapuram district with out Congress help.”
Assured of Shivankutty’s landslide victory This time, Chandrasekhar from Nemom seat added: “We’re planning to shut the account that they (the BJP) opened in Nemom in 2016.”
(Edited by Amrutanshu Arora)
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