Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 30 (IANS) Even though the Kerala Assembly elections are still nearly three months away, the political temperature has begun to rise sharply in the state capital, with the Nemom constituency shaping up for an early and intense battle.

The trigger is the announcement by State BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar that he will contest from Nemom, a seat that carries strong symbolic and strategic value in Kerala politics.

Nemom entered the political record books in 2016 when the BJP won an Assembly seat in Kerala for the first time in the state’s history.

Veteran leader O. Rajagopal had then defeated CPI(M)’s V. Sivankutty, a hugely popular local leader, former Thiruvananthapuram Mayor and the sitting legislator.

The victory marked a breakthrough moment for the BJP in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly.

In 2021, however, Sivankutty reclaimed the seat, overcoming BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan, another senior leader and former Governor.

The CPI(M) victory was aided by a strong showing from the Congress, which had fielded K. Muraleedharan, a sitting Lok Sabha MP and son of former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran, who had won Nemom in 1982.

Chandrasekhar’s declaration has now altered the electoral dynamics, rattling the CPI(M) more than the Congress.

Sivankutty has responded by throwing an open challenge to Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, urging him to contest from Nemom.

The move is widely seen as a calculated political gambit rather than mere rhetoric.

Electoral data underlines Sivankutty’s reasoning.

Since the Congress last won Nemom in 2006, its candidates have largely been relegated to third place, with the CPI(M) and BJP occupying the top two positions.

Notably, when the BJP won in 2016, the Congress-led UDF had fielded a relatively weak candidate from an ally.

In contrast, in 2021, the Congress put up one of its strongest faces, enabling Sivankutty’s return.

Sivankutty’s challenge also comes amid speculation over his ability to withstand a gruelling, high-voltage campaign due to health concerns, even as he remains one of the Left’s most popular leaders in the capital city.

Reacting to the challenge, Satheesan on Friday dismissed it curtly, remarking that he did not consider himself of the “class” to engage with Sivankutty and was not interested in replying to the challenge.

With the BJP projecting its state president from the seat, Nemom appears poised once again to become a focal point of Kerala’s fiercely emerging competitive three-cornered politics.

–IANS

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