The Vattiyoorkavu constituency in Thiruvananthapuram is poised for a highly contested battle in the Keralam Assembly elections scheduled for April 9. Currently held by the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) V.K. Prasanth, Vattiyoorkavu is one of four legislative constituencies within Thiruvananthapuram city and has historically been a swing seat since its establishment in 2008, with no single party dominance.
The urban constituency will see a direct contest between V.K. Prasanth and former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief K. Muraleedharan, son of the late Kerala Chief Minister and Congress leader K. Karunakaran. Muraleedharan, a two-time MLA from Vattiyoorkavu, has represented the seat twice before in 2011 and 2016. Although the LDF won the seat in the 2019 by-election and retained it in the 2021 state polls, Muraleedharan recently contested and lost in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Thrissur.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) hopes to increase its prospects through candidate R. Sreelekha, a retired Indian Police Service officer. Sreelekha was the first woman IPS officer and the first woman Director General of Police from Keralam. Despite winning the Sasthamangalam ward in the Thiruvananthapuram city corporation elections in December 2025, she lost the mayoral post.
Muraleedharan emphasised his close connection with the constituency, stating, “Two days in a week, I visited here. People know me, and I know the people. There is a relationship between me and the people of Vattiyoorkavu. Many developments were completed during my period, and now we are showing the achievements we have done.” He also pledged to revive a medical college project that was stalled by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the previous administration if elected.
Sreelekha outlined plans to make the constituency greener, more eco-friendly, and better managed in terms of traffic. She highlighted the relatively high senior citizen population compared to youth and proposed establishing a skill hub to create more opportunities for young people.
The BJP increased its vote share in the Thiruvananthapuram region during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and its recent success in local body polls further boosts its chances of winning this seat.
V.K. Prasanth stated his confidence in securing a substantial majority, identifying both the BJP and UDF as primary opponents. He said, “The people will vote for development” and promised to deliver significant developmental progress if re-elected, expressing optimism about winning by “over 20,000 votes.”
In 2021, Vattiyoorkavu had 195,974 registered electors, including 93,690 male voters and 102,284 female voters. V.K. Prasanth won with 61,111 votes, defeating BJP’s V.V. Rajesh, who secured 39,596 votes, by a margin of 21,515 votes.
Prasanth first won the seat in the 2019 by-election with 54,830 votes, surpassing UDF’s K. Mohankumar, who received 40,365 votes, by 14,465 votes.
Polling for the 2026 Keralam Legislative Assembly elections will take place on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4. The current Assembly’s tenure ends on May 23.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) aims to unseat the incumbent Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF government in the 140-member Assembly, with the LDF having governed the state for about ten years.