<p>Situated on the suburbs of the Thiruvananthapuram city, Kazhakoottam has now emerged as a technology hub with the Technopark where scores of IT/ITES companies like Infosys and TCS. It is one constituency where the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple gold theft may have a direct impact as sitting MLA and CPI(M) candidate Kadakampally Surendran was a former Devaswom minister and his links with the gold theft has come out in the open. For that reason former minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan, who is the BJP candidate, has more reasons for hope this time. BJP came second in the constituency in the 2021 and 2016 elections.</p><p><br><strong>Candidate's profile:</strong> </p><p><strong>CPI(M):</strong> Kadakampally Surendran is a senior CPI(M) leader and three-time MLA and had served as Devaswom minister. Recently he faced much embarrassment over his links with Sabarimala gold heist accused Unnikrishnan Potti. </p><p><strong>Congress: </strong>T Sarath Chandra Prasad is a prominent district leader of the Congress and also a former MLA. He had also served as interim president of the Thiruvananthapuram district Congress committee president and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary.</p><p><strong>BJP:</strong> V Muraleedharan had served as union minister of state for external affairs in the previous Narendra Modi government after being elevated as a Rajya Sabha member. He was also a former president of BJP in Kerala. He entered politics through the RSS and held various positions.</p>
<p>Situated on the suburbs of the Thiruvananthapuram city, Kazhakoottam has now emerged as a technology hub with the Technopark where scores of IT/ITES companies like Infosys and TCS. It is one constituency where the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple gold theft may have a direct impact as sitting MLA and CPI(M) candidate Kadakampally Surendran was a former Devaswom minister and his links with the gold theft has come out in the open. For that reason former minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan, who is the BJP candidate, has more reasons for hope this time. BJP came second in the constituency in the 2021 and 2016 elections.</p><p><br><strong>Candidate's profile:</strong> </p><p><strong>CPI(M):</strong> Kadakampally Surendran is a senior CPI(M) leader and three-time MLA and had served as Devaswom minister. Recently he faced much embarrassment over his links with Sabarimala gold heist accused Unnikrishnan Potti. </p><p><strong>Congress: </strong>T Sarath Chandra Prasad is a prominent district leader of the Congress and also a former MLA. He had also served as interim president of the Thiruvananthapuram district Congress committee president and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary.</p><p><strong>BJP:</strong> V Muraleedharan had served as union minister of state for external affairs in the previous Narendra Modi government after being elevated as a Rajya Sabha member. He was also a former president of BJP in Kerala. He entered politics through the RSS and held various positions.</p>