K. Muraleedharan of the Congress-led UDF has won the Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency in the Kerala elections 2026. The result came after a closely watched three-cornered contest in Thiruvananthapuram district, where early trends had already indicated a lead for the UDF candidate.

Muraleedharan secured 48,101 votes, defeating CPM-led LDF sitting MLA V. K. Prasanth, who polled 42,681 votes. The margin of victory stood at 5,420 votes. BJP-led NDA candidate R. Sreelekha, the former Kerala DGP, finished third with 37,038 votes.

Constituency profile and electoral backdrop

Vattiyoorkavu is a general constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district and is regarded as a key urban electoral battleground. It forms part of a rapidly expanding city region where issues such as infrastructure, civic services and urban development have consistently shaped campaign narratives.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, V. K. Prasanth had won the seat, defeating BJP’s V. V. Rajesh with a margin of around 16 per cent. In 2016, he had also secured victory against Congress candidate Dr K Mohankumar with a margin of about 12 per cent.

The constituency has shown shifting voting patterns in recent years. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led NDA led with 53,025 votes, followed by Congress with 44,863 votes and CPM with 28,336 votes. Local body elections have also reflected comparatively stronger NDA performance in several urban wards.

Candidates and campaign positioning

The 2026 contest featured V. K. Prasanth for the CPM-led LDF, K. Muraleedharan for the UDF, and R. Sreelekha for the BJP-led NDA. Prasanth’s campaign highlighted development work during his tenure, including infrastructure projects and reported expenditure of over ₹1,000 crore.

Muraleedharan focused his campaign on returning to the constituency after earlier electoral contests elsewhere. Sreelekha, a retired IPS officer and Kerala’s first woman DGP, campaigned on governance experience and administrative credentials.