Kerala Assembly Election 2026: Can Rajeev Chandrasekhar reclaim the BJP’s ...
Kerala Assembly Election 2026: In the Nemom Assembly constituency, where V Sivankutty, Rajeev Chandrasekharand K S Sabarinadhan are the key candidates, the role of late voters could be crucial. Out of around 1.7 lakh voters, nearly 15,000 to 16,000 are expected to make up their minds at the last moment. This becomes even more important because the winning margin in the last three Assembly elections has been less than 10,000 votes, according to a report by Onmanorama.Can BJP regain its only seat?
The main question in the Nemom Assembly constituency is whether the BJPcan win back the only seat it has ever secured in Kerala, or if the Left Democratic Front (LDF) will manage to retain it after its narrow win last time.
Another key talking point is whether the Congress made a mistake by fielding a relatively weaker candidate, particularly at a time when its traditional voter base has been slowly shrinking, helping the BJP grow in the area.
Direct contest between BJP and CPI(M)
This election is largely being seen as a direct contest between CPI(M) leader and Education Minister V Sivankutty and BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is also the state party chief. Meanwhile, Congress candidate KS Sabarinadhan appears to be lagging behind at this stage, after losing a nearby seat in the 2021 elections.
Looking back, in 2021, V Sivankutty won the seat by a margin of less than 4,000 votes, dashing the hopes of the BJP. He had earlier lost in 2016 to O Rajagopal by over 8,000 votes. A key factor in 2021 was Congress leader K Muraleedharan, who secured over 36,000 votes and helped pull back some votes that had shifted towards the BJP, according to a report by The Economic Times.
This time, it remains unclear whether Congress can play a similar role in preventing vote transfer to the BJP.
BJP gains momentum after 2024 Lok Sabha polls
The BJP’s position has strengthened further after it led in the Nemom segment during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where Shashi Tharoor narrowly defeated Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram.
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The party has also performed well in local body polls, winning a large number of municipal wards in the area.
Campaign strategies of BJP and LDF
The BJP, supported by its strong RSS network, is running an aggressive campaign, projecting Chandrasekhar as a leader focused on development and change. On the other hand, the Left is relying on its organisational strength and is hopeful that a significant portion of the over 20% Muslim voters will support Sivankutty in what is increasingly seen as a direct BJP vs Left contest, the report mentioned.
With voting day approaching, the BJP is planning an intense final campaign push, while the LDF is working to strengthen its hold on the seat. The Congress performance will also be closely watched to see whether it can retain its voter base or continue to lose ground.
Nemom Assembly constituency: Key candidates in the fray
The main candidates in Nemom Assembly constituency are:
-V Sivankutty (CPI-M)
-Rajeev Chandrasekhar (BJP)
-KS Sabarinadhan (Congress)
All about Nemom Assembly constituency
Nemom is one of the 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala and falls under Thiruvananthapuram district. It is a general seat, meaning it is not reserved for SC or ST candidates. The main political players here are the LDF, UDF, BJP, and Congress.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, V Sivankutty of CPI(M) defeated BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan by 3,949 votes.
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Nemom is also part of the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor won the seat by defeating Rajeev Chandrasekhar by 16,077 votes.
Nemom Assembly constituency: Voter profile
Nemom had 2,04,054 voters in 2021, including 98,799 male voters, 1,05,246 female voters, and 9 third-gender voters. A total of 3,772 postal votes were cast, and there were 478 service voters, according to Election Commission data.
In 2016, the constituency had 1,91,491 voters, with 92,466 men and 99,025 women.
Kerala Assembly Election 2026: Polling and result dates
Voting for the Kerala Assembly Election 2026 will be held in a single phase on April 9. The counting of votes and results will be announced on May 4.
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