In the electoral landscape of the Attingal Lok Sabha constituency within Kerala, a captivating drama unfolded with a three-way tussle involving the LDF, UDF, and BJP. Ultimately, the UDF’s Congress contender, Adoor Prakash, emerged victorious by a slim margin of 1,708 votes. This fiercely contested battle saw candidates from the LDF and UDF trading places at the forefront over numerous rounds of ballot tabulation.
Adoor Prakash clinched the top spot by amassing 3,22,884 votes, relegating V Joy to second position with 3,21,176 votes. Initially, the incumbent UDF’s Congress representative, Adoor Prakash, surged ahead, but later, V Joy of the Left Front staged a comeback. Notably, Union Minister and BJP nominee V Muraleedharan put up a formidable challenge.
The lead oscillated between contenders throughout several rounds of vote tallying, never exceeding the two-thousand-vote mark. Eventually, Adoor Prakash secured his second triumph in Attingal, prevailing over CPM’s Thiruvananthapuram District Secretary, V Joy, by a 1708-vote margin. Union Minister and NDA candidate, V. Muraleedharan, finished third. In 2019, Adoor Prakash wrested control of the LDF bastion by defeating A Sampath of the CPM.
Independent candidates PL Prakash and S Prakash garnered 1673 and 703 votes, respectively. The “None Of The Above” (NOTA) option garnered approximately ten thousand votes. Adoor Prakash expressed gratitude to party workers for their contributions to the victory.
The entry of Union Minister Muraleedharan injected a photo-finish-like intensity into the electoral fray in Attingal. Encompassing Varkala, Atingal, Chirainkeesh, Nedumangad, Vamanapuram, Aruvikara, and Kattakkada assembly constituencies, the Attingal Lok Sabha Constituency experienced Adoor Prakash’s previous triumph, securing a 38,247-vote majority in the last election, tallying 380,995 votes while Sampath garnered 342,748 votes.
On the Sabarimala issue, a faction of Hindu voters leaned towards the BJP. The BJP’s vote share surged amidst the fervor surrounding the Sabarimala issue, prompting the party to field Union Minister Muraleedharan himself in the constituency this time.
Historically an LDF stronghold, the Attingal Lok Sabha constituency witnessed a shift in 2019 when Adoor Prakash claimed victory over the incumbent MP, A Sampath. With its diverse terrain comprising hills, midlands, and coastal regions, Attingal poses a formidable challenge for candidates seeking to connect with voters.
Muraleedharan’s entry and systematic campaign infused further intrigue into the contest, with prominent BJP leaders and union ministers S Jaishankar and Nirmala Seetharaman actively supporting him.
The caste dynamics play a pivotal role in Attingal, with Eezhava, Nadar, and Latin Catholic community voters wielding considerable influence in determining the constituency’s victor.
In the 2024 contest, the Attingal constituency registered a total of 1,396,807 eligible voters, witnessing a voter turnout of 69.48% (970,517 votes cast), according to data from the Election Commission. The seat went to polls in the second phase on April 26, 2024.
During the 2019 LS Polls, Adoor Prakash of the Congress secured victory, garnering 380,995 votes, constituting 37.91% of the total votes cast. He defeated CPI’s Dr. A. Sampath by a margin of 38,247 votes. In 2014, Sampath secured his second consecutive victory from the seat, amassing 392,478 votes (45.67%) and surpassing Congress’s Bindhu Krishna by a margin of 69,378 votes.