The 2026 Assembly elections turned Kottarakar into the national spotlight due to the extraordinary shuffle of candidates.
P. Aisha Potty, a leader herself who raised the red flag in Kottarakara and served as its MLA for fifteen years, has crossed over to the Congress to contest as a United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate. R. Reshmi, who was the face of the UDF against KN Balagopal in the previous elections and is now the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate, has joined the intrigue. This crossing of paths turned the constituency into a high-stakes testing ground for political loyalty and voter switching by blurring traditional party lines, forcing voters to choose between long-standing ideological affiliations and the personal records of individuals on the ballot. In Kottarakara, the 2026 elections are not just a contest of ideologies, but a profound test of personal loyalty versus the party machine.
Historically the stronghold of veteran Kerala Congress (B) R. Balakrishna Pillai, who represented the segment seven times since 1977, Kottarakara witnessed a historic shift in 2006 when Ms. Potty of the CPI(M) unseated the titan, ending nearly three decades of his dominance and ushering in an era of the Left. It retained the seat for three consecutive terms, peaking with a massive majority of 42,632 votes in 2011. In 2021, the CPI(M) fielded senior leader KN Balagopal, who secured the seat with a margin of over 10,000 votes, further consolidating the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) position in this prestigious segment.
The LDF candidate campaign is firmly anchored in a development-oriented narrative, positioning KN Balagopal as the architect of modern Kottarakara. The left obverse highlights a number of major projects implemented during KN Balagopal’s tenure, including Kottarakara IT Park, Work Near Home initiative, drone park, Zoho Campus, Government Nursing College and Bypass construction project. Buoyed by his strong performance in the local body elections, the LDF camp believes Mr. Balagopal’s personal popularity and visible infrastructure growth will ensure a comfortable victory, potentially surpassing his previous tally of 68,000 votes.
A shift in demographics
For the UDF, getting Kottarakara is a matter of prestige. They are banking on the overwhelming acceptance of Ms. Potty, who polled over 83,000 votes as the LDF candidate in 2016. The UDF hopes that its shift will attract a significant portion of the traditional leftist vote bank, leading to a revival of the tricolor in the region. Meanwhile, the NDA considers Kottarakar as one of its strongest support bases in the district. Expecting a massive increase from the 21,000 votes they secured last time, they hope that Ms. Reshmi, who got 57,956 votes as the UDF candidate in the last election, will retain her personal following under the saffron banner.
Demographically, the constituency includes Kottarakara municipality and Ezhukone, Kareepra, Kulakkada, Mylom, Neduvathur, Ummannoor and Veliyam panchayats. Interestingly, the total number of voters saw a drop from 2,00,587 in 2021 to 1,92,271 in 2026, a decrease of 8,316 voters. The current voter base consists of 1,01,122 women and 91,149 men, including 1,846 voters above the age of 85. With seasoned veterans switching sides and the incumbent minister defending his record, the battle for Kottarakara has become a complex puzzle of shifting loyalties and development politics.
Published – 31 March 2026 17:11 IST
