Kerala Polls 2026: High-voltage contest in Thrithala as Rajesh, Balram face off again

Thrithala in Kerala’s Palakkad district is heading towards a high-stakes electoral contest, with the LDF and UDF once again facing off in a constituency known for its shifting political loyalties.

With a predominantly agrarian population and a mix of rural pockets, voters in the constituency continue to prioritise issues such as agriculture, drinking water, infrastructure, and employment.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, CPM leader M B Rajesh secured a significant victory for the LDF by defeating Congress candidate V. T. Balram. Now serving as a state minister, Rajesh is seeking re-election, highlighting development and governance as key pillars of his campaign.

According to  LDF candidate and sitting MLA, M. B. Rajesh, "The entire Kerala has seen unprecedented development especially in infrastructure, in education and in health. A due share of that development has received my constituency also. As you have seen, my constituency is predominantly a rural, agrarian constituency. Before me, this constituency had elected 3 ministers. All of them belonged to Congress. But despite that, all the three ministers earlier, they failed to uplift the constituency. In the last 5 years, after people of Thrithala elected me, many development works which had not materialised in the last 50 years have happened."

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The UDF has once again fielded V T Balram, a two-time MLA and one of Congress’s prominent youth leaders in Kerala. Seeking a comeback, Balram is focusing his campaign on anti-incumbency and urging voters to compare his tenure with the current administration.

Meanwhile, UDF Candidate  V T Balram says, "I am contesting in this constituency for the fourth consecutive time. They elected me two times. Last time, I lost by a narrow margin. But this time around, I am fully confident that the people of Thrithala would re-elect me because they have a comparison in front of them. My 10 years when I was their MLA, and the current five years. So, if they do a genuine comparison of those two periods, I am fully confident that people will stand by me. Because whatever development you have seen here - the roads, the hospitals, two government colleges, skill development institutions, bigger water supply projects, irrigation projects - everything started in my period."

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded V Unnikrishnan, as the BJP attempts to expand its presence in a state traditionally dominated by the LDF-UDF bipolar contest.

The NDA candidate has criticised both fronts, alleging that much of the recent development activity is aimed at influencing voters ahead of the polls.

V Unnikrishnan, NDA candidate, "Even though MLAs and ministers from both fronts have come here one after the other, they have not been able to realise the development dreams of Thrithala. It is the same across all sectors -- whether it is the agriculture sector, the issue of drinking water, the education sector, youth employment, women’s empowerment, or the launching of new enterprises. In this past one month, what has been done here is mostly just inaugurations without actually completing the construction of buildings. Now, if you come to Thrithala, it may appear that the roads have been completed only in the last one month. But if you ask the people of Thrithala about the past five years, you will understand how they have been travelling all this time."

As campaigning gathers momentum, the LDF and UDF appear set for a direct contest, while the NDA is looking to make inroads.

Voting in Thrithala will take place on April 9 as part of Kerala’s single-phase Assembly elections for all 140 constituencies. The results are scheduled to be announced on May 4.