Kollam: All set for a vigorous battle

With the election fervor going up day by day the Kollam constituency is witnessing a fierce battle among sitting MP and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader N K Premachandran, CPM MLA M Mukesh, and G Krishnakumar of the BJP-led NDA alliance.

The campaigning in the constituency has gathered momentum with candidates holding rallies and road shows. Mukesh is a highly acclaimed actor, while BJP’s G Krishnakumar is a known face in Malayalam movies and television serials. Both these candidates are known to have a fan base of their own in this constituency.

On the other hand, N K Premachandran is sticking to his performance history to retain the constituency with a significantly larger Hindu population. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Premachandran won by 4,99,677 votes against K N Balagopal who secured 3,50,821 votes. 

The people of Kollam seem to have mixed feelings towards the major candidates who sweat it out in the sweltering heat to win the hearts of the voters. Even though a majority of people stand by Premachandran due to his track record, there are quite a few who lean towards the two celebrity figures.

N K Premachandran has been a popular figure in the Kollam constituency and has already served four terms and is currently the sitting  MP of Kollam. Premachandran has established a great connection with the people of Kollam with his notable interventions in the Lok Sabha and his commitment to the electorate's burning issues.

M Mukesh, the popular actor and sitting MLA from Kollam has been fielded by the CPM to take on the UDF candidate, who has been single-handedly blocking the victory march of the left for the last decade.  The CPM activists believe that Mukesh’s nomination will turn the tables and bring a break to N K Premachandran’s victorious journey.

G Krishnakumar is quite hopeful and expects nothing short of a win from Kollam. The actor-turned-politician has quite a following with his social media presence and campaigning strategies. G Krishnakumar had unsuccessfully contested from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency with a BJP ticket for the 2021 Assembly Elections. 

The diverse opinions reflect the various political perspectives within the constituency, underscoring the importance of each candidate's campaign efforts in the final stretch leading up to Election Day. As voters weigh their choices, it remains to be seen if both the LDF and the NDA will be able to snatch victory from the hands of Premachandran, who appears all the more confident about the final verdict.