Pushpa Das, LDF candidate in Thrikkakara, during her campaign in the constituency on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Along Kunnethuparambu Road in Chakkaraparambu, part of the Thrikkakara Assembly constituency, walls are split almost evenly between posters of United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Uma Thomas and Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Pushpa Das, reflecting the intense battle for public attention in the three-cornered political contest.
Akhil Marar, the candidate of Twenty20 and a social media influencer and film personality, is the celebrity in the fray.
On a humid Wednesday afternoon, Ms. Das, a lawyer and karate black belt holder, was seen campaigning with agility, moving briskly in and out of households accompanied by party workers.
UDF candidate Uma Thomas meeting devotees at a temple.
| Photo Credit:
THULASI KAKKAT
Leading the way was N.S. Bhagyalakshmi, DYFI Thrikkakara block president and the candidate’s personal secretary, herself a karate black belt holder. Walking up an extremely narrow concrete path, the team knocked on the door of Savi, an elderly resident, and introduced Ms. Das, who greeted him with a handshake. That encapsulated her campaign style — a few handshakes, hugs, and a smile throughout.
“We are seeking votes on the basis of ten years of LDF governance marked by development. Despite being represented by the UDF, the constituency, including the district headquarters, has not lived up to its potential. Acute water shortage in summer and waterlogging during monsoon remain pressing issues,” Ms. Das said.
Ms. Thomas, however, appeared unfazed, challenging the LDF to convince voters of its chargesheet against the UDF, a task she said the ruling front had so miserably failed to accomplish during the by-election four years ago despite deploying the full machinery led by the Chief Minister. Exuding confidence, she said she was aiming to surpass the record margin of over 25,000 votes registered in that by-election.
“The persisting water shortage in Thrikkakara reflects the failure of ten years of LDF rule. The last UDF government led by Oommen Chandy had allocated land for the proposed 190 MLD plant. The LDF government made little progress before staging an eyewash by announcing to execute the project with ADB funding towards the fag end of its term,” Ms. Thomas said.
Beginning her day’s campaign with a ‘ponkala’ offering at the Vennala Kottankavu Temple, Ms. Thomas sought votes from devotees followed by a visit to a few Christian convents. In the afternoon, she hurried to the city to meet High Court lawyers on the request of a Congress-affiliated lawyers’ outfit. She also visited two households to console families mourning the loss of loved ones.
Mr. Marar, meanwhile, leveraged his celebrity appeal and social media reach. At a house in Elamkulam, he was gifted a bag of mangoes by a resident, which he said he would present to his elder daughter Prakruthy, who had turned 10 two days earlier, as he could not find time to shop gifts for her. Though he posed for a photograph holding the mangoes, a party worker reminded him that the party’s symbol was jackfruit, and the mangoes swiftly disappeared into the bag.
NDA candidate Akhil Marar taking a selfie with a family.
| Photo Credit:
THULASI KAKKAT
“The combined vote share of Twenty20 and the BJP in the constituency is around 36,000. Add a few thousand neutral votes, and I will sail through. The universe seems to be conspiring to make me an MLA,” Mr. Marar said.
Later, while campaigning in Kadavanthra, a family of four requested a selfie, which he readily obliged.
Published – March 25, 2026 09:10 pm IST
