Thiruvananthapuram: Political parties in Thiruvananthapuram are growing increasingly concerned over the decline in voter turnout. The bustling constituency, known for its intense three-way competition, saw a polling rate of 66.46%, down from 73.37% in the last general election in 2019.
Candidates from the major fronts expressed optimism, attributing the dip to a surge in last-minute voting in coastal areas, which they believe worked in their favor. While the NDA asserted a claim to a “significant share” of coastal votes, both the UDF and the LDF asserted that the latecomers to the polls overwhelmingly favored them.
Every one of the seven assembly constituencies experienced a decrease in polling compared to the previous general election. Nemom witnessed the sharpest decline, dropping seven percentage points (pp) from 73.32% to 66.05%. Despite losing the seat to the CPM’s V Sivankutty in 2021, Nemom remains favorable to the NDA, owing to historical significance as the lone BJP MLA in the state’s history, O Rajagopal, was elected from there in 2016.
The constituencies with the smallest margins of decline were Thiruvananthapuram (3.48 pp) and Vattiyoorkavu (3.55 pp). Polling decreases were also noted in Kovalam (5.79 pp), Parassala (5.44 pp), Kazhakoottam (5.38 pp), and Neyyattinkara (5.03 pp).
Incumbent Shashi Tharoor, seeking his fourth consecutive term, expressed confidence in winning with a comfortable majority. His main concern lies in who will secure the second position between NDA’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar or LDF’s Pannian Raveendran. Tharoor’s confidence is buoyed by the fact that the three constituencies with the highest turnout this time — Neyyattinkara (70.72%), Parassala (70.60%), and Kovalam (69.815%) — favored the UDF in the previous election.
However, the NDA argues that the candidacy of a Union minister has disrupted past voting trends. They assert that people see Rajeev Chandrasekhar as a catalyst for development, with his status as a central minister also carrying weight. They anticipate that a majority of urban votes, combined with a significant share from the UDF’s coastal strongholds, will propel their candidate to victory. Senior CPI leader Pannian claimed success in curbing cross-voting, which has plagued the LDF in previous years. He highlighted lower voting percentages in UDF strongholds, contrasting with the LDF’s ability to retain its voter base.
