The political battle in Nemom constituency in Thiruvananthapuram has gained significant national attention, with a high-stakes triangular contest taking place between the BJP-led NDA, the Congress-led UDF, and the CPM-led LDF in the April 9 Assembly polls.
Buoyed by its strong performance in the recently concluded Kerala local body elections, the BJP is gearing up for a crucial contest in Nemom—the constituency that gave the party its first and only MLA in the state in 2016.
State BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who declared his candidature from Nemom well ahead of the official election announcement, is aiming for a decisive victory. The party sees Nemom as both a symbolic and strategic battleground in its efforts to expand its footprint in Kerala.
Leveraging a formidable grassroots network, the CPM-led LDF has fielded State General Education Minister V. Sivankutty to defend the constituency, relying on its well-oiled organisational machinery.
The LDF’s strategy hinges on consolidating its traditional vote base while capitalising on a divided opposition. However, it faces the burden of anti-incumbency, along with pockets of urban dissatisfaction that could test its hold in a seat with a growing middle-class electorate.
The UDF’s choice of young leader K. S. Sabarinathan makes Nemom a key litmus test, balancing the potential for a major upset against the steep electoral challenges of the constituency.
Sabarinathan entered electoral politics after the demise of his father, Congress leader G. Karthikeyan, and won his first election from Aruvikkara in 2015. He lost the 2021 election but has remained politically active. In 2025, he contested and won the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation polls from Kowdiar ward.
Riding on his 2021 win, V. Sivankutty is aiming to retain Nemom, highlighting his commitment to secular values and his opposition to communal politics. The seat is critical for the BJP to prove its strength in Kerala, while the LDF is striving to retain the seat it wrested from the BJP in 2021.
Nemom transformed into a prestige seat after the BJP scripted history in 2016 with O. Rajagopal winning the seat—its first-ever Assembly victory in the state. Though the LDF reclaimed the seat in 2021, the narrow margin of victory underscored the constituency’s volatility. In 2021, V. Sivankutty defeated BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan by a margin of 3,949 votes, while Congress leader K. Muraleedharan finished third.