For CPI(M)'s VK Prasanth, the triangular contest in the Vattiyoorkavu Assembly seat is no less than a litmus test. He aims to retain the seat on the back of his performance as the sitting MLA.
Vattiyoorkavu is one of the four constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala.
What makes it a rather interesting battle is the entry of R Sreelekha, the former Kerala Director General Of Police (DGP), who is contesting on a BJP ticket. Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan, who previously represented the seat, is also in the race.
Personal Life
Born in 1981 to S Krishnan and J Vasantha, Prasanth is married to MR Raji. The couple has two children, Aliya and Aryan.
He has been a practicing lawyer since 2006. Belonging to Thiruvananthapuram's Kazhakkuttom, Prasanth has been active in politics since his college days.
He started with the Students Federation of India and later joined the Democratic Youth Federation of India. He became a CPM member in 1999 and served as a panchayat member from 2005 to 2010.
In 2021, Prasanth secured a decisive victory in this seat by a margin of 21,515 votes. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate received 61,111 votes, retaining the seat, which was considered a UDF stronghold since the 2008 delimitation.
He improved on his 2019 by-election win from here, where he had defeated Congress' K Mohankumar. Prasanth also slightly increased his vote share from 44.25 per cent to 44.4 per cent.
His performance highlighted his growing popularity in the constituency, which CPM will hope to leverage in the 2026 polls. Before the 2019 by-polls, Prasanth gained experience as the youngest mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation from November 2015 to October 2019.
The son of a retired panchayat secretary was initially a hesitant choice for CPM, but his work and leadership earned him the popular title of “Mayor Bro” among people.
In the 2026 polls, he is facing Congress' Muraleedharan, who has already represented the seat in 2011 and 2016.
BJP is hoping to lock the seat by fielding former Kerala DGP R Sreelekha, who is a prominent public figure. The counting of votes, set to take place on May 4, will reveal if Prasanth's record as the incumbent MLA can withstand the fierce three-way battle.
