Kasargod, Kerala: Nearly two years ago, 54-year-old Chandrashekar spent 36 days in Kasargod’s Government Medical College waiting for a pacemaker.
Typically, a pacemaker is implanted in an hour-long operation, but in Chandrashekar’s case, doctors kept delaying it, citing his high sugar levels and other complications.
“It was really frustrating. The person I saw next to me in the morning would be dead by afternoon. I saw 28 people die in the time I was there,” the security guard told ThePrint, cringing at the thought.
Following a relative’s suggestion, he sought treatment in Puttur in neighbouring Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka. The operation was scheduled and completed within 10 days.
Residents say that Kasargod, Kerala’s northernmost district, has not received its due and has been largely left out of Kerala’s growth story.
For Kasargod residents, Mangaluru in Karnataka is the go-to destination for specialist medical needs, higher education and air travel.
As the 9 April assembly election draws closer, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is tapping into this perceived neglect as it seeks to defeat the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
The opposition party, which has been trying to make an electoral breakthrough in Kerala, is particularly focusing on Manjeshwar and Kasargod, two of Kasargod district’s five assembly constituencies, which also include Udma, Kanhangad and Trikaripur.
BJP’s K. Surendran from Manjeshwar and Ashwini M.L. from Kasargod are actively pushing the ‘Mangaluru Model’ to corner votes in their constituencies since they fall on the completed section of the NH-66, showcasing development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
But why are they promoting Mangaluru, a city in Congress-ruled Karnataka?
Though Karnataka has historically seen a trend of alternating BJP and Congress governments, coastal Karnataka is largely seen as a BJP bastion where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wide appeal. Out of 13 constituencies in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, and Mangaluru city, the BJP holds 11 seats, while the other two are held by Congress.
Kasargod is sometimes referred to as the state’s “unwanted baby” since it has closer links to Karnataka and the erstwhile Tulunadu region. Kasargod was earlier part of the erstwhile South Kanara district but was merged with Kerala’s Kannur district in the 1956 reorganisation of states. Kasargod district came into existence on 24 May 1984.
Though Kerala has a robust infrastructure of state-run medical establishments, Kasargod residents say they are often overcrowded.
“The local hospitals and PHCs (Public Health Centres) are very good for general healthcare. But if there is a complication, a requirement for scans, or head injuries in accident cases that need specialist care, then doctors advise taking the patient to Mangaluru,” said Sharath Kumar, a resident.
Kasargod, Idukki and Wayanad have the lowest number of hospital beds compared to Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam. The district has no government medical college hospital beds as of today, according to the Kerala Economic Review.
Meanwhile, Mangaluru is only 58 km away and can be reached in an hour via the completed section of National Highway-66. In contrast, the 92-km journey to Kannur takes nearly three hours by road, while it takes nearly five-and-a-half hours to reach Calicut, about 186 km away, as most of the NH-66 on this stretch is under construction, forcing diversions and slow-moving traffic.
Arts, commerce & science
The economy presents a mixed picture. Kasargod’s main road is lined with opulent jewellery stores. Its 70-km coastline has facilitated its growth as a trading port. And its pristine shoreline is dotted with tourist attractions such as the Bekal Fort and Kappil Beach.
Known as the ‘Land of seven languages’, Kasargod also has a mix of ancient mosques and temples lining both sides of the NH-66.
But the district is ranked 12th in terms of contribution to GSDP.
Residents say that the Kerala government in distant Thiruvananthapuram, about 600 km away, pays no attention to the district.
Abdul Basheer, a local goods auto driver and resident of Kanhangad, thought hard when asked if Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had visited the district in the last 10 years.
“I think he visited Kasargod during his first term,” he said, but was unsure of any development works initiated by the LDF government.
The extent of ‘development’ varies depending on who you ask.
“Things are okay here. In some places, the Left is strong, while at least two seats are League strongholds,” he said, referring to the Indian Union Muslim League or IUML.
The IUML, a part of the UDF, has long denied the BJP a chance to make a mark in the region despite its demographic advantages.
According to the 2011 Census, Hindus account for around 55.84 percent of the local population, out of 1,307,375, while 37.24 percent are Muslims and 6.69 percent are Christians.
The BJP’s K. Surendran lost the 2011 elections by 5,828 votes but has since significantly cut down these margins. In 2016, Surendran lost by 89 votes, and in 2021, by 745 votes.
A sizeable chunk of the local population is Kannada-speaking Hindus with strong roots and ties with the coastal districts of Karnataka.
Most skilled workers from the region travel or stay in Mangaluru for work, and parents prefer educating their children across the border.
Kumar’s children have been studying in Kadri (Mangaluru) since the beginning.
“Until the 10th standard, the education system here is good. After matriculation, we have to look at Mangaluru, which offers a wider range of specialisations,” he said, adding that colleges in Kasargod offer only the traditional “Arts, Commerce and Science” courses.
According to Kerala’s Economic Review, there are no government engineering colleges in Kasargod either.
Student politics also takes a violent turn in these parts, adding to apprehensions.
Parents fear that young students are forced to take sides when there are clashes between groups like the Left-linked Student Federation of India (SFI), IUML-backed Muslim Student Federation and the BJP’s Akhil Bharatiya Vidhayarthi Parishad (ABVP) or risk being targeted.
On 15 August last year, the RSS-backed ABVP’s decision to observe Partition Horrors Remembrance Day on campus at the Central University of Kerala (Kasargod) sparked clashes between students in Kasargod, Kannur and Calicut, among other places.
The region has also come under the scanner for law-and-order problems such as gold smuggling and a rise in the use and peddling of banned substances.
In 2016, the region gained national attention when nearly 21 youngsters from Padanna and nearby regions went missing and were suspected of having joined ISIS in Afghanistan. This led to scrutiny by national investigating agencies.
As a result, parents fear their children will be forced to take sides in these ideology and identity-driven divides.
“We are saved because of the proximity to Mangaluru,” said Ganesh Parakatta, a trader and director of CAMPCO, a farmer and planters cooperative
Both his children studied in Dakshina Kannada and are unlikely to return, he added.
Identity politics
As the assembly election draws closer, Surendran, one of the prominent BJP faces in Kerala, is pushing the ‘Mangaluru Model’ in Manjeshwar, a stone’s throw away from the coastal city.
At a cultural event at the Alia Durga Parameshwari temple, Surendran started off speaking briefly in Kannada and quickly shifted to Malayalam, appealing to a mix of identities—Kannada, Tulu and Hindu. He referred to the upcoming elections as a “Dharma Yudham” and asks everyone to cast their vote.
“Children and relatives, those who are in Mangaluru and other places, please call them up and ask them to come and cast their vote,” he said in a short speech peppered with the words ‘development’ and ‘Modi Sarkar’.
“Our local MLA has barely spent Rs 5 crore. But Bharat Shetty (Mangaluru North BJP MLA) has over hundreds of crores worth of ongoing works in his constituency,” he told ThePrint.
Surendran avoided speaking in Kannada to avoid controversy.
Kasargod is the flashpoint of persistent language-based struggles, with the Kannada-speaking population resisting the Pinarayi-led Kerala government over the Malayalam Language Bill, which seeks to make Malayalam compulsory in schools in Kerala.
On Sunday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah echoed these sentiments.
“There is confidence that the people will elect the Congress-supported UDF candidate, current MLA Ashraf, with a majority in the fight for the survival of Kannada,” Siddaramaiah said.
ಕನ್ನಡದ ಉಳಿವಿಗಾಗಿ ಹೋರಾಡುವ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಬೆಂಬಲಿತ ಯುಡಿಎಫ್ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿ, ಹಾಲಿ ಶಾಸಕ ಅಶ್ರಫ್ ಅವರನ್ನು ಜನರು ಬಹುಮತದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಗೆಲ್ಲಿಸುವ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸವಿದೆ.
ಮಂಜೇಶ್ವರದ ವಿಧಾನಸಭಾ ಚುನಾವಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಬೆಂಬಲಿತ ಯುಡಿಎಫ್ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಯಾದ ಶಾಸಕ ಅಶ್ರಫ್ ಅವರು ಈ ಹಿಂದೆಯೂ ಆಯ್ಕೆಯಾಗಿ ಜನಸೇವೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಈ ಬಾರಿಯೂ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಜನ… pic.twitter.com/4NXUGplIHP
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 6, 2026
Siddaramaiah said the LDF government was drowning in debt, emphasising the development in Congress-led Karnataka as he urged voters to back the UDF in the upcoming polls.
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‘Taken for granted by LDF & UDF’
Apart from attempts to consolidate the splintered Hindu votes, the BJP is also trying to reach out to the Muslim population.
“What is wrong with voting for the BJP? We voted for the Left and UDF but got nothing in return. Our support is taken for granted,” Moidueen, a Bandiyod resident, told ThePrint.
Though others are hoping for greater attention, they are also wary of Hindutva politics entering the district or state.
“They (BJP) cannot bring their north kind of politics into Kerala,” Moidueen added.
The IUML is also making it a point to underscore what it calls the “dangers” of voting for the BJP.
“They (BJP) want to bring a divisive kind of politics into Kerala. But the people of Kerala are educated and want communal harmony. The people of Kerala will not allow it on its soil,” P.M.A. Salam, the general secretary of the IUML, told ThePrint.
The Left-allied Indian National League (INL) has split the Muslim consolidation that had traditionally been behind the UDF—at least for now.
The BJP is banking on this possible split in the Muslim vote bank, hoping it will be divided between the LDF and IUML (UDF) and work to its advantage in Kasargod.
The INL is actively campaigning for its candidate, Shahnavas Pudur, in Kasargod. In Manjeshwar, Surendran is up against incumbent IUML MLA A.K.M. Ashraf. But the LDF has fielded K.R. Jayananda, who could potentially split the Hindu votes.
The BJP says that it is trying to get the entire Hindu population to vote to counter any Muslim consolidation behind the league.
“The second Muslims know the BJP is winning, the Muslim votes consolidate to defeat us. It’s happened in the past. But we are hopeful this year,” a BJP worker told ThePrint.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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