LDF candidate for the Kazhakkuttam Assembly constituency Kadakampally Surendran campaigning at Palliyaparambu, Andoorkonam, in Thiruvananthapuram.
| Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran
On either side of the railway gates at Station Kadavu, motorists wait impatiently for the train to pass. Soon, a rumble is heard and the north-bound Netravati Express whizzes past. As the last coach vanishes and the gates finally open, there is a scramble to be the first to get across. For the local people, this is a scene that repeats itself over and over as if in a time-loop. A bridge over the line would help, but right now it remains a mere hope.
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Some minutes later, V. Muraleedharan, a former Union Minister who is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in the Kazhakuttam Assembly constituency for the April 9 elections, alights from a car and is immediately surrounded by party workers. Mr. Muraleedharan enters a nearby shop and asks the man who runs it, “Do you live here or across the tracks?” Given the density of rail traffic here, the question appears to be a pertinent one. Mr. Muraleedharan moves on, promising a solution if he gets elected.
Such questions and issues are what makes this constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district distinctive. It is a segment where candidates are expected to handle burning pan-Kerala issues and the purely local with equal panache.
For instance, former Minister Kadakampally Surendran, the sitting Communist Party of India (Marxist (CPI(M)) MLA, begins giving a soundbyte for The Hindu by explaining what he has done to resolve the drinking water shortage in the constituency and promote development, and slides easily into how he is being unfairly targeted by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the BJP in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Regional development is high on the agenda of Congress candidate T. Saratchandra Prasad, a former MLA who says his party has entrusted him the “mission” of recapturing the erstwhile UDF stronghold.
With just days left for the April 9 Assembly polls, the spotlight, like the summer sun, beats down hard on Kazhakuttam. Mr. Surendran is looking for a third straight win, but the BJP’s presence as a formidable contender cannot be ignored. Rapidly-evolving Kazhakuttam is home to the Technopark, a factor that influences the development perspectives for the sprawling constituency as a whole. The BJP draws confidence from the fact that its candidates – Mr. Muraleedharan in 2016 and Sobha Surendran in 2021 – ended the race in second position. This time, the Congress is banking on the Mr. Sarathchandra Prasad, a familiar face of the party in the district, to recover lost ground.
Gold theft controversy
Interestingly, the Sabarimala temple has figured prominently in Kazhakuttam’s poll battles. If it was the women entry issue that the LDF had had to contend with five years ago, this time it is the gold theft controversy which the BJP and the Congress are using to trip Mr. Surendran. But he remains unfazed.
“The people know me. Besides, every one knows that the investigation is being monitored by the Kerala High Court itself,” he said. Mr. Surendran is confident that his closeness to the voters would give him a third win. “I’ve been able to provide effective leadership to development activities in the constituency. And it’s not just the past ten years (as MLA), I have spent the whole of my political career in Kazhakuttam, having been born and raised here,” he says.
NDA candidate V. Muraleedharan campaigns near Station Kadavu.
| Photo Credit:
Nirmal Harindran
Drinking water issue
Mr. Muraleedharan alleges that the constituency has suffered only neglect under Mr. Surendran’s watch. “Basic issues remain unresolved. Drinking water is a big issue in almost every Corporation ward in the Assembly segment. Motorable roads are a big issue as well,” he says. The BJP has rapidly expanded in the segment, he says. “We had less than 10,000 votes here, which went up to 43,000 when I first contested here in 2016. We had a very good lead in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections, we won 14 out of the 28 wards here,” he said.
UDF candidate T. Sarathchandra Prasad at his home before setting out to meet voters of Kazhakuttam constituency.
| Photo Credit:
Nirmal Harindran
On Thursday morning, Mr. Sarathchandra Prasad received visitors at his home, before setting out to meet voters. He alleges that the CPI(M) and the BJP have forged a tacit alliance. “On the last two occasions, the anti-BJP sentiment of minorities worked in the LDF’s favour. But the current political atmosphere favours the UDF,” he said.
Kazhakuttam’s 1.64 lakh-strong electorate consists of a sizeable Hindu population, but Christian and Muslim votes are crucial. Through the years, several prominent names have represented the constituency ever since its first electoral battle in 1965. It was from here that A.K. Antony won the October 1977 by-election. Thalekkunnil Basheer had stepped down as MLA to make way for Mr. Antony. Others include Left-backed Independent Nabeesa Ummal, CMP leader M.V. Raghavan and Congress leader M.M. Hassan. Kadakampally Surendran regained the seat for the LDF in 1996, M. A. Vahid won the next three elections.
Published – April 06, 2026 10:18 am IST
