The Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency is presenting an interesting contest, the Manorama News-VMR pre-poll survey revealed.
While the UDF may witness a 4.41 per cent decrease in its votes, the LDF is likely to see a dip of 1.8 per cent votes. The NDA on the other hand may gain 5.72 per cent more votes than its tally in the 2019 polls, the survey said.
The survey predicted the sitting UDF MP Kodikkunnil Suresh to win 40.89 per cent of votes, down from the 45.36 per cent he had won five years ago. The LDF received the support of 37.2 per cent of voters, who participated in the survey. The NDA's votes are likely to go up to 19.45 per cent. It had received 13.75 per cent of the total votes in 2019.
Since a narrow percentage of votes separates the UDF and LDF, even minor changes in votes won by the UDF and the NDA may affect the poll outcome.
The UDF has once again fielded senior Congress leader Kodikkunnil Suresh in Mavelikkara. The LDF has entrusted CPI's young leader CA Arun Kumar with the task of stopping Suresh's winning streak. BDJS's Baiju Kalashala is the NDA candidate.
Suresh, who debuted in the Lok Sabha at the age of 27 from Adoor in 1989, won six more Parliament elections. He emerged victorious in the three polls held after the Mavelikkara constituency was formed.
In 2019, he defeated Chittayam Gopakumar of the CPI by a margin of 61,138 votes to serve a seventh term in the Lower House.
The Manorama News-VMR pre-poll survey covered 28,000 people across all the Assembly segments in March. The survey looked at the possible results if the polling was then conducted. The Manorama News-VMR pre-poll survey, "Who will win in 20 seats" is the largest in terms of sample size.