Candidates and supporters of BJP, LDF and UDF for the local body elections gathered at Peroorkada in Thiruvananthapuram on the last day of open campaigning on Sunday. | Photo credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN
Hectic campaigning for local body elections in Thiruvananthapuram district ended on Sunday evening with candidates, leaders and workers of the three main political fronts coming together in various parts of the city and rural centers for ‘Kottikalasam’, a loud, festive culmination of the campaign. While most of the celebrations ended peacefully, minor skirmishes were reported from several areas.
In Pothencode, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Congress workers were involved in an altercation and came to blows before the police intervened to calm the situation. Anticipating tensions between party workers, the police demarcated specific areas for celebrations for each party. Several police officers were stationed in the space between the individual parties.
One of the major convergence points in the city was the Peroorkada junction where various parties tried to outdo each other in flamboyance and loudness quotient, often leading to cacophony. Smaller versions of the same were witnessed across major intersections. In the afternoon, most of the candidates conducted a road show through their departments for the last time. Cranes seemed to be in high demand at convergence points for candidates to rise above the crowd of party workers for a bird’s-eye view of the celebrations.
The district will go to polls on December 9 along with five other districts in south and central Kerala. On Monday, party workers and candidates will engage in a round of silent campaigning to make one last serious pitch to voters. With the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation witnessing a three-way fight between the Left Democratic Front, the United Democratic Front and the National Democratic Alliance, much is at stake. A few votes can make a big difference in gaining power in one of Kerala’s most important civic bodies.
Published – 07 Dec 2025 23:28 IST
