Thrissur Lok Sabha Elections 2024: All You Need to Know About Biggest Kerala Battle Amid Pooram Festivities Row

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Thrissur will go to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26, amid a heated political war of words over alleged police high-handedness in the Thrissur Pooram festivities

The triangular contest in Thrissur is perhaps the most keenly watched electoral fight in Kerala in the Lok Sabha elections. On the ballot is a former superstar, the son of a former chief minister and a highly respected former minister with grassroots connections.

The constituency will go to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26, amid a heated political war of words over alleged police high-handedness in the Thrissur Pooram festivities. The Congress has alleged a secret agenda to destroy the annual spectacle ahead of the polls.

The grand old party alleged that there was a clear direction to the police to disrupt the Pooram festivities, and that it was to facilitate the BJP’s victory in this central constituency. Senior Congress leader and candidate K Muraleedharan also demanded a judicial probe into the developments, which happened post-Pooram to find out whether the police were allegedly used for political gains to disrupt the festival.

His criticism came a day after the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government announced that they will transfer the Thrissur city police commissioner and the assistant commissioner after getting permission from the Election Commission of India. Muraleedharan, who replaced sitting MP TN Prathapan as the candidate this time, said the BJP cyber campaigners have already propagated that their candidate Suresh Gopi had intervened into the issues and resolved them. He has also accused the CPI(M) and the BJP of using the Pooram as a cover for trading votes.

The BJP’s high-profile candidate, Suresh Gopi, also reacted to the issue and alleged that the traditional rituals of Thrissur Pooram had been disrupted due to police interference. He suspected that there was clear planning and conspiracy over the incidents that took place on Pooram night.

What happened at the Thrissur Pooram festivities this time?

While thousands witnessed the high-octane Thrissur Pooram on April 19 in Thrissur in full grandeur on the sprawling grounds of the famed Vadakkunnathan Temple, controversies took the sheen off the iconic temple festival due to alleged restrictions imposed by police and their reported interference in the rituals. For the first time in the history of the festival, the display of fireworks, one of the major attractions of the event, which was scheduled in the early hours, was held in broad daylight on April 20, which turned out to be a damp squib for the festival buffs.

The alleged police interference in the Pooram festivities and the delayed display of fireworks triggered sharp political reactions in the state as opposition Congress and BJP criticised the LDF government over the issue.

What action did the LDF government take?

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on April 21 directed the state police chief probe the matter and submit a report in a week. The CM’s office said Thrissur City police commissioner Ankit Asokan and assistant commissioner K Sudersan shall be transferred immediately after taking necessary permission from the election commissioner.

Vijayan said a serious probe will be held into the complaints raised by temple managements and members of the public who attended the recently held Thrissur Pooram. He also said the government and the temple managements had a cordial relationship and they had even requested him to attend the Pooram festivities on April 19, but he could not attend due to election campaigning schedules.

Thrissur is one of the 20 parliamentary constituencies in Kerala. It comprises seven assembly segments within the Thrissur district — Thrissur, Ollur, Pudukad, Manalur, Guruvayur, Nattika, and Irinjalakuda. All of them are presently held by the ruling LDF, with Ollur, Thrissur and Nattika (SC) held by the CPI and the rest by CPM.

The constituency is represented by TN Prathapan of the Congress. Contesting candidates are Suresh Gopi of the BJP, K Muraleedharan of the Congress and VS Sunil Kumar of the CPI among others.

In 2019, TN Prathapan of the Congress had won the seat with a significant majority of nearly 1 lakh votes in a heated contest with Rajaji Mathew of the CPI and Suresh Gopi of the BJP. In that election, Gopi had been singlehandedly instrumental in growing the BJP’s vote share by a massive 17 per cent.

Known as the cultural capital of Kerala, Thrissur has a rich political history as well. It has elected the CPI, but at times, the electorate has switched loyalties to the Congress, especially during periods of nationwide popularity like during the Indira years.

Thrissur has a mix of urban and rural areas, including significant cultural and religious landmarks like Guruvayur temple, Vadakkunnathan temple and one of the oldest churches in India. A diverse demographic profile includes a significant number of Hindus, Christians and Muslims.

BJP

Gopi has brought his own brand of theatrics and celebrity factor to the campaign trail in Thrissur. He was nominated as the Rajya Sabha MP in 2016 and joined the BJP later. He was the candidate in Thrissur for both 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as well as the 2021 assembly election, but came in third both times. The BJP candidate has launched an all-out effort this time to better his 2019 tally and bridge that gap of around 1.2 lakh votes.

His high-profile campaign had kicked off with a spirited welcome at the Thrissur railway station followed by a bike rally. Although not a native of Thrissur, Gopi has spent years trying to cultivate the electorate here. After his loss in 2019, he had announced he will not contest again. But, he is said to have changed his mind after some convincing by the party leadership. His campaign is marked by significant outreach and engagement activities aimed at bolstering his personal visibility and connecting with the constituency.

Reports indicate that Gopi has made it a point to repeatedly campaign in areas where he is sure of getting votes. The strategy is to go multiple times to places where more votes are guaranteed and avoid areas where no hope of vote exists. The BJP’s major support comes from Thrissur town, which has a large population of Hindus, especially upper caste Hindus.

However, Gopi is by no means a low-key candidate and does not come across as humble. His mastery of both Malayalam and English gives him a distinct advantage over opponents. On screen, Gopi had become famous playing hard-talking cops, that persona has stuck as a hard-talking candidate.

But, he is not a traditional Kerala politician. Some of those who are close to him have even gone out on a limb to say he does not have the shrewdness for it. What he lacks in political adeptness, he balances through his earnestness.

Even before he joined politics, Gopi had been known for his association with charitable activities. Decades ago, he was once the face of Jana Seva Shishu Bhavan in Aluva, which helped abandoned children. His connect with the problems of the common man and ability to find solutions to them are appreciated by the voters.

His influence as a philanthropist and actor has helped BJP to increase its vote share in Thrissur. But, his lack of experience in organisational politics is a handicap. Gopi does not enjoy that great a rapport with the state unit. Earlier in the campaign, he was caught on camera venting his frustration at the cadre for not being aggressive with gathering voters for mass contact programmes.

Gopi is perceived to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the prime minister’s three visits to Thrissur in recent times, especially to attend Gopi’s daughter’s wedding at Guruvayur, is also seen as a positive factor that is working in his favour.

On ground reports indicate that many Thrissur voters feel that he is the right man to present the issues of the constituency in Parliament. In contrast, the performance of Prathapan and Muraleedharan (as Vadakara MP) have been average, although not bad.

Many feel that if he wins, he is sure to be made a minister in ‘Modi 3.0’. In fact, the local BJP unit even installed a billboard featuring Gopi and the PM at Swaraj Round in the centre of Thrissur that read: ‘A union minister for Thrissur is Modi’s guarantee’.

Congress

Unlike Gopi, Muraleedharan is a seasoned politician and has fought elections multiple times. A tough fight is nothing new to him. In 2021, when the BJP lost its only MLA seat in Kerala, it was Muraleedharan who was instrumental in cutting the votes at Nemom.

For a long time, he has been the vanguard of the state Congress in attacking both the BJP at the Centre and the Pinarayi-led government in the state. He has made it a point to make the Manipur situation one of his key poll planks in Thrissur. The idea has been to sow confusion among Christian voters, and “expose” the cynical overtures of the BJP. He has mocked Prime Minister Modi for visiting Thrissur more than he has visited Manipur.

A witty orator in Malayalam, Muraleedharan also makes fun of ‘Modi’s guarantee’, especially with regard to the promise of making Gopi a minister. But, unlike the high-octave campaign of Gopi, Muraleedharan has been less conspicuous. Reports indicate he has been visiting all areas in the constituency to canvass for votes.

Thrissur is the home turf of his father K Karunakaran, who remains one of the tallest Congress CMs that Kerala has ever seen. Muraleedharan’s mannerisms often show glimpses of Karunakaran. However, the battle for the late leader’s legacy is being toughly contested. Muraleedharan’s daughter Padmaja was brought in by the BJP hoping that they can cash in.

Prathapan has been quite happy to vacate his seat for Muraleedharan. On the one hand, it thwarts any anti-incumbency and, on the other, he avoids a tough contest that could potentially see him lose to either Gopi or VS Sunil Kumar.

Reports indicate that Prathapan has been actively campaigning for Muraleedharan. Prathapan likes to get up close to the electorate, which explains his high popularity in Thrissur. For Prathapan, it also helps him lay the groundwork for a move to state politics and the 2026 assembly elections. He belongs to the fishing community and has considerable sway over coastal Thrissur among all religions. His active campaign for Muraleedharan will help consolidate votes.

CPI

Both Gopi and Muraleedharan have to contend with a spirited campaign by former state agriculture minister VS Sunil Kumar. The soft-spoken CPI leader is a Thrissur native with a personal connect across the electorate. In fact, voters recognise him as “our Suni” rather than as a CPI leader. He had earlier served as an MLA from different constituencies in the district.

His stint as agriculture minister was also quite exemplary. He is credited with initiatives like at ‘Subhiksha Keralam’ project aimed at reviving the agricultural sector in the state. He has the added advantage that the Left holds all the assembly constituencies in Thrissur. He has the support of a strong cadre and a captive vote base. His earlier stints with the AISF also gives him extensive campaign experience.

Sunil Kumar, however, has an uphill task in combating the significant anti-incumbency against the LDF government in the state. To add to his troubles, the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam, has been bad press for the Left front. He has faced some controversy too. A recent selfie with actor Tovino Thomas landed him in a soup, and the EC issued a notice. Earlier, his posters featured pictures of Thriprayar temple and the deity Thriprayar Thevar at Nattika, in violation of the poll code.

Here are the key issues in the constituency:

Caste factors: Hindus (at 58.4 per cent) are a majority in Thrissur district. But, it also has a sizeable Christian population of 24.5 per cent and a Muslim population of 17 per cent. A significant chunk of the minority vote is expected to go the UDF, especially with Prathapan campaigning for Muraleedharan. Gopi and Muraleedharan are expected to split the Nair community votes. Traditionally, Nairs have supported UDF and LDF at various times but, of late, grown closer to the BJP. However, Nair Service Society (NSS) – the organisation that represents Nairs – has decided to maintain an “equidistant policy” towards all parties. Apart from Nairs, some sections of the Ezhavas also lean towards the BJP with Vellapalli Natesan’s political outfit an ally in the state.
Karuvannur Bank Scam: The Karuvannur cooperative bank scam has become a major election issue in Thrissur. The significant financial scandal emerged when irregularities were reported following recovery notices sent to borrowers for amounts greater than what they had borrowed. The Rs 100 crore scam involved CPM functionaries. On ground reports indicate that the shadow of the scam will affect Sunil Kumar’s votes. Gopi has been at the forefront the BJP’s efforts to capitalise on the scam. He even undertook a ‘padyatra’ through the district dedicating it to victims of the scam. He also has reportedly donated funds to some victims, many of them Left supporters, to clear debts.
Alleged corruption: The Thrissur corporation is also accused of bypassing the employment exchange and making appointments to 350 temporary posts through the back door. The corporation only notified employment exchange of 20 vacancies and reportedly appointed staff to remaining vacancies unilaterally. The justification provided by Thrissur Mayor MK Varghese citing “emergencies” appears inadequate and raises further questions. The issue extends beyond Thrissur, as evidenced by reports of around 25,000 similar appointments across various government and public sector undertakings in Kerala under the LDF rule.
Christian factor: Despite Gopi’s significant outreach to the Christian electorate, the community remains divided over support for the BJP. There has been notable resistance particularly related to claims by Hindu Aikya Vedi claiming that the Palayoor Church is an ancient Hindu temple. Palayoor Church is reportedly the oldest church in India, dating back to 52 AD. This claim has sparked controversy and diminished support among some Christian voters for Gopi. Additionally, tensions were also evident when the vicar of St Joseph’s Church in Avinissery questioned Gopi about the ongoing conflict in Manipur. In fact, there is palpable concern among the Christians around the issue of Manipur and attacks on churches in North India. In Thrissur, the Congress and LDF have made it a point to make local political narrative include discussions on Manipur. The BJP’s Minority Morcha leaders have been finding it hard to explain away that Manipur violence is a fight between the Kukis and Meiteis, and not a Hindu-Christian conflict. The Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur has emerged as a vocal critic of both the central and state governments, highlighting concerns over religious discrimination and the perceived neglect of the Christian community. The Kerala government has been severely criticised for its alleged discriminatory practices in distributing minority welfare schemes, favouring Muslims. It is being alleged that the Christian community is being unfairly excluded. The church wants the implementation of the JB Koshy Commission recommendations, which addresses issues faced by minority communities.
CAA and the Muslim factor: Issues like the CAA have found resonance among the Muslim electorate, especially in pockets like Chavakkad. Gopi’s efforts to defend the CAA have also fallen flat. His comment that it will help in poverty alleviation has been ridiculed. But, he has also continued a concerted attack on the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government’s stance on the CAA. Earlier, Gopi had waded into the controversy over the Israel war backing Shashi Tharoor’s comments condemning the terrorist outfit Hamas. Gopi has also been a vehement supporter of the Uniform Civil Code.
Garbage in Thrissur city: The massive piles of garbage accumulating at Sakthan Nagar, a central area in the city, pose a significant health and environmental hazard. Instead of implementing sustainable waste management solutions, the city civic body is attempting to merely cover the garbage with plastic sheets. The failure of existing waste management initiatives has been raised by opposition leaders. Congress councillors even held a protest march. The proximity of the garbage dump to public spaces like the bus stand, amplifies the risk of a disaster similar to the Brahmapuram fire in Kochi. The Thrissur corporation is incidentally ruled by the LDF, backing a Congress rebel mayor.
Drought: Thrissur district is facing a severe water crisis due to rising temperatures and significant deficit in rainfall. The alarmingly low water levels in the region’s dams are hinting at major scarcity for both agricultural and drinking purposes. In February, it was reported that many parts of the city have not got water for many days. Thrissur received only half of its usual rainfall during the June-August period in 2023, with an even more drastic 92 per cent decline in August. This has severely impacted the water levels in crucial dams like Peechi, Chimminy, and Vazhani. In some areas, groundwater resources have also reportedly faced depletion, contamination and saltwater intrusion. A study by the Central Ground Water Board revealed the presence of iron and nitrate in groundwater.