Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is facing a tough challenge in the Dharmadam Assembly constituency as the Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate.
He is pitted against K Ranjith of the BJP and VP Abdul Rasheed of the Congress in a three-cornered contest.
Vijayan is trailing behind Congress' Rasheed by a mere 647 votes, while K Ranjith is in third position with 6,295 votes, lagging by 26,807.
Vijayan has been the incumbent since May 25, 2016, and has led the Left Democratic Front to a historic re-election in 2021, breaking Kerala’s long-standing pattern of alternating governments.
As a staunch critic of the BJP, Vijayan continues to position the Left as the principal ideological counter to the RSS.
With a history of student politics and a 17-year tenure as CPI(M) Kerala state secretary, Vijayan has been a prominent figure in Kerala politics.
The Dharmadam Assembly constituency has remained a stronghold of the CPI(M), represented by Vijayan since 2016.
The contest is about the Left Democratic Front’s push for continuity in power, with Vijayan seeking a third consecutive win.
