Kerala Assembly elections: Kunnathunadu’s high voter turnout keeps all three fronts guessing

The Kunnathunadu Assembly constituency in Kerala is no stranger to heavy polling, having consistently recorded voter turnout above 80% since 2011, when it was reserved for Scheduled Castes. The constituency maintained that trend for the fourth consecutive time, registering over 83% turnout as per initial official figures, the highest in Ernakulam district, the Kerala Assembly polls on April 9.

The high polling percentage, however, can hardly be seen as indicative of any particular front gaining an edge considering that the constituency has alternated between the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF). UDF’s V.P. Sajeendran won two successive terms from 2011, before LDF’s P.V. Sreenijin wrested the seat in the last election. The two are once again in direct contest, with Babu Divakaran, a former Congress leader, adding a third dimension as the candidate of Twenty20, which is buoyed by its new partnership with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).