Often overlooked in discussions on major political contests in Kerala, the Chathannur constituency in the Kollam district has emerged as a key strategic target for the BJP in the April 9 assembly polls. The party now anticipates its consistent local growth could realistically culminate in an electoral breakthrough this time.
Having finished as the runner-up in the previous two assembly elections, the party views this seat as a prime opportunity to secure a victory and expand its footprint in the state.
A stiff triangular contest is taking place here between the BJP-led NDA, the Congress-led UDF, and the CPM led LDF in the April 9 assembly polls.
NDA’s BJP candidate B B Gopakumar takes on LDF’s CPI nominee R Rajendran and UDF’s Congress candidate Sooraj Ravi in Chathannur
In the 2016 Assembly elections, CPI leader G S Jayalal won comfortably with a margin of 34,407 votes against BJP’s B B Gopakumar and Congress candidate Sooranad Rajasekharan. However, the 2021 elections saw a dramatic shift. While Jayalal retained the seat, his winning margin dropped sharply to 17,206 votes, almost half of his previous margin. The BJP, with BB Gopakumar as its candidate, significantly improved its performance, registering an increase of around six percentage points in vote share.
CPI candidate Jayalal polled 59,296 votes with a vote share of 43.12% while BJP candidate B B Gopakumar got 42,090 votes with a vote share of 30.61%. Congress candidate N Peethambarakurup stood third with 34,280 votes (24.93%).
The BJP-led NDA is working to convert its consistent second-place performance into a win, challenging the traditional dominance of the Left Democratic Front (LDF). In a clear signal of the seat’s importance, Union Minister J P Nadda recently addressed a massive public meeting in Chathannur, emphasizing the significance the party has given to the seat.