Tharoor facing twin challenge in Thiruvananthapuram

Aam Aadmi Party is also testing the waters by fielding former IPS officer Ajith Joy as its nominee. Joy is a civil service batch mate of Arvind Kejriwal.  

As in other states, AAP is banking on the support from a large chunk of voters, especially the youth, who are “fed up with traditional politics”.

Thiruvananthapuram has sent to Parliament veterans like V K Krishna Menon (1970, as a Left-backed independent), M N Govindnan Nair (CPI, 1977), K Karunakaran (Congress, 1998) and P K Vasudevan Nair (2004).

At the same time, the constituency has proven to be a slippery ground for high-profile contestants like Govindan Nair (CPI, 1980) and Jnanpith laureate O N V Kurup (CPI).  

A vast, predominantly rural constituency which stretches from the shores of the Arabian sea in the west to the slopes of Western Ghats bordering Tamil Nadu, Thiruvananthapuram has a little over 12 lakh voters.

Despite the backwardness of vast swathes of the seat, the issues which prominently figure in the campaign are related to the development of the state capital and the failure to bring a high court bench here.