Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: Triangular contest on Vattiyoorkavu seat

Updated: 28-03-2026, 04.00 PM

There is a triangular contest in the Vattiyoorkavu seat of Kerala in the Kerala Assembly elections 2026. Here CPM has given ticket to sitting MLA VK Prashant. While Congress has trusted K Muraleedharan, BJP has given ticket to R Sreelekha. Vattiyoorkavu assembly seat is an important urban seat located in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. It is in discussion for a triangular contest. Voting is to be held in a single phase for all 140 seats in Kerala on April 9. Vattiyoorkavu seat is also one of them. At the same time, counting of votes will take place on May 4.

The seat falls entirely under the BJP-ruled Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation. BJP has performed well here in the recent local body and Lok Sabha elections. On this basis, BJP is considered to have the upper hand here, but the electoral pattern of Kerala is in favor of Congress. The government changes here every five years. At the same time, CPIM is confident of VK Prashant’s victory on the basis of his previous victory.

What happened in the last elections?

In the 2021 assembly elections, CPIM’s VK Prashant won by about 21515 votes. He received a total of 61,111 (44.40%) votes and the margin of victory was 15.6%. BJP’s advocate VV Rajesh came second, getting 39,596 (28.77%) votes. Advocate Veena S Nair of Congress stood third by securing 35,455 (25.76%) votes. In the last election, the LDF alliance had registered a strong victory, but the BJP had secured a good vote share.

Status of current candidates

Sitting MLA VK Prashant is contesting the elections for the third time. His emphasis is on development work. According to Prashant, he has spent a budget of more than ₹1,050 crore in the development of the area. At the same time, senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan is also a big face. He has been an MLA from here before and is trying to make a political comeback. He is also being considered as a contender for the post of Chief Minister. However, there are many other leaders in this race. The claim of BJP candidate R Sreelekha is also strong. She is a former DGP and also the first woman DGP of Kerala. He is a strong candidate for BJP. His emphasis is on corruption-free governance and development.

What are the equations?

The sitting MLAs are highlighting development works like flyovers, junction development, road widening etc. but there could be anti-incumbency against the LDF alliance at the state level. The name of Muraleedharan of Congress is big. They are promising to restart stalled projects. If Congress votes do not go towards BJP then UDF may benefit. The name of BJP’s R Sreelekha is a woman and has administrative experience. BJP is seeing a good opportunity due to its increasing support base in the city and control in the corporation. This seat is being considered a big opportunity for urban breakthrough for BJP. It is one of the most noteworthy seats of Kerala. Even a small shift in vote share can change the result. Local issues like traffic, development, urban amenities and state level anti-incumbency will remain the main factors.