Thiruvananthapuram:The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is leading in three of the seven assembly constituencies in former Union minister Shashi Tharoor’s Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.
The party had fielded several high-profile candidates in the district, which includes crucial constituencies witnessing triangular contests.
In Vattiyoorkavu, senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan is contesting against Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s incumbent MLA V.K. Prasanth and Bharatiya Janata Party’s R. Sreelekha, a former DGP.
In Nemom, Congress leader K.S. Sabarinadhan is fighting against Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI(M) Minister V. Sivankutty.
In Neyyattinkara, Congress Thiruvananthapuram President N. Sakthan, a former minister, is in a face-off with K. Ansalan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
In Kazhakkootam, T. Sharath Chandra Prasad of the Congress is running against senior BJP leader V. Muraleedharan and CPI(M) leader and Minister Kadakampally Surendran.
In Parassala, INC’s Neyyattinkara Sanal is crossing swords with CPI(M)’s C.K. Hareendran and Advocate Gireesh Neyyar from the NDA.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has fielded Communist Marxist Party (CMP)’s C.P. John against Left Democratic Front (LDF)’s actor-candidate Sudheer Karamana and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Karamana Jayan.
In Kovalam, the Congress has fielded incumbent MLA M. Vincent against LDF’s Bhagath Rufus and BJP’s T.N. Suresh.
Out of the seven assembly constituencies, the UDF, back in 2021, won only the Kovalam segment.
According to the Election Commission of India data at 2.40 pm, Sarathchandraprasad and Sabarinadhan were both in third position in Kazhakkootam and Nemom, respectively. In Parassala, Neyyattinkara Sanal trailed behind CPI(M) candidate Hareendhran by 12,826 votes.
In Thiruvananthapuram, UDF candidate John led by 4,635 votes against BJP’s Karamana Jayan. Additionally, Shakthan led in Neyyattinkara by 6,966 votes, and Muraleedharan led by 2,796 votes.
Tharoor’s LS seat
Though Tharoor is the local MP, the party’s presence in Thiruvananthapuram has been dwindling over the years. This has been attributed to organisational problems as well as a growing BJP vote base.
Congress’s traditional support base—urban middle-class and upper-caste Hindu communities—has increasingly shown interest in the BJP. This resulted in the BJP winning the Nemom assembly seat in 2016 and the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in 2025.
In 2021, the Congress won only one of the seven assembly segments in the district.
A former UN diplomat, Tharoor, joined the Congress in 2009 and contested the Lok Sabha elections that year, winning from Thiruvananthapuram by a margin of almost one lakh votes. He retained the seat in subsequent elections, but his margin reduced to 16,077 votes in 2024.
Last year, there was a strain in his ties with the party. Tharoor’s alleged deviation from party lines, along with his occasional praise for the Modi government—including Operation Sindoor—had landed him in major controversies. He also remained absent from key Congress meetings and events in Kerala due to the alleged sidelining he faced.
However, the leader met Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge in January this year, after which he has remained active in party events. Tharoor was the most sought-after star campaigner of the UDF in the Kerala polls, covering nearly 59 constituencies across 12 districts, and sometimes, visiting five constituencies in a single day.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: From rebel to star campaigner: How Shashi Tharoor found his way back in Congress