In the days leading up to the local body polls in 2020, the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation had an air of a fort about to be breached. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had in the previous election sprung a surprise by increasing its seat tally in the 100-ward Corporation from 6 to 35, had mounted a massive campaign to capture power. As the civic body controlling the capital city, the Corporation holds great symbolic value in Kerala’s politics. The Left Democratic Front (LDF), facing decades of anti-incumbency and with a thin majority of 43 wards against the BJP’s 35 in the previous election, appeared to be on a weak wicket.
Yet, the results proved much of the projections wrong, with the LDF weathering the storm comfortably and improving its tally to 51 wards, in addition to the support of a couple of Independent councillors, while the BJP stayed almost static at 34. The continued decline of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has been the story of the past two elections. In 2015, when the UDF’s tally slumped from 40 to 21 seats and the front got pushed to the third place by the BJP, it came as a shock for many. However, when it further declined to 10 seats in 2020, the surprise was much less as many within the party had projected such an outcome especially due to issues in candidate selection.
This time around, the UDF appears to show the intent for a fight by announcing its candidates ahead of everyone else and fielding a few young State-level leaders such a former MLA K.S. Sabarinadhan and District Congress Committee secretary M.S. Anilkumar. With Congress leader K. Muraleedharan leading from the front, the UDF is striving to convey an impression of a triangular fight in a civic body which has witnessed direct fights between the LDF and the BJP the last two times.
High profile nominees
The LDF, in keeping with its recent trends in candidate selection, has fielded a number of fresh faces, while hardly a handful of sitting councillors are contesting. However, it has also fielded experienced leaders such as S.P. Deepak, district committee member and former general secretary of the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, former Mayor and Vanchiyoor area secretary K. Sreekumar, former councillor and Palayam area secretary Vanchiyoor Babu, and Vilappil area secretary R.P. Sivaji.
The BJP has fielded a good number of the sitting councillors compared to the LDF and the UDF, with some of them already completing two successive terms. Among the high profile candidates it has fielded are former Director General of Police (DGP) R. Sreelekha, athlete Padmini Thomas, and V.V. Rajesh, as well as former Congress leaders such as K. Maheswaran Nair and Thampanoor Satheesh who had shifted allegiances in recent years.
Claims on smart roads
The Opposition parties are seeking to put the ruling LDF on the defensive by questioning its developmental record and the effectiveness of its interventions in waste management. The run-up to the election has also witnessed competing claims between the LDF and the BJP for implementing projects such as smart roads. Despite its massive campaign, the BJP appears to be on a sticky wicket, as it is roiled by the allegations that surfaced following the suspected suicide in October of its councillor K. Anil Kumar and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Anand K. Thampi, who both have raised serious allegations against the party leadership in their purported suicide notes.
All the fronts have also been facing troubles from rebels in some wards. If the high drama preceding the election is anything to go by, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is likely to witness an unpredictable contest.
Published – November 27, 2025 09:21 am IST
