Battle of images in Thripunithura

For long after the declaration of the Assembly election, it seemed that the Thripunithura constituency will go to polls for the first time in a quarter of a century without former minister K. Babu, an integral part of its election landscape with his first of the five successive victories dating back to 1991, in the fray.

Attribute it to the perseverance of a seasoned politician or the shrewd application of pressure tactics — Congress activists staged a slew of protests demanding his candidacy across the constituency and beyond — Mr. Babu eventually prevailed and emerged as the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate, leaving many seat aspirants within his party crestfallen. With the Left Democratic Front (LDF) fielding its sitting MLA M. Swaraj to retain the seat and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bringing in academic K.S. Radhakrishnan, battles lines remain drawn for an interesting three-cornered contest.