Kamal Ghorui
In Kerala’s Chavara, RSP’s Shibu baby John emerged as the winner, defeating independent candidate Dr. Sujith Vijayanpillai by 18,573 votes. Shibu baby John received 74308 votes, while Dr. Sujith Vijayanpillai secured 55,735 votes. The constituency is a general seat covering coastal regions around Chavara Municipality, along with rural panchayats such as Thekkumbhagom and Clappana. The local economy is shaped by fishing communities, coir workers and beach mineral sands activities.In the 2026 assembly elections, the UDF has fielded CR Mahesh, while the BJP has nominated VS Jithin Dev.In the 2021 assembly elections, Sujith Vijayanpillai (Independent, LDF-supported) won the seat with 63,282 votes, accounting for 44.29 per cent of the vote share. He narrowly defeated RSP candidate Shibu Baby John, who secured 62,186 votes (43.52 per cent), with a slim margin of 1,096 votes. BJP candidate Vivek Gopan polled 14,211 votes, while voter turnout stood at 76.09 per cent.Chavara has been known for its closely fought contests, with narrow margins reflecting its competitive political landscape. The constituency continues to face a range of developmental and environmental challenges.Key issues include coastal erosion and flooding from TS canals, which impact fishing activity and cashew cultivation. Poor rural road connectivity continues to affect coir exports, while youth unemployment persists despite Gulf remittances. Residents also face irregular water supply, overburdened primary health centres, and illegal beach sand mining affecting backwaters.Other concerns include monsoon-related power outages, rising land prices driven by industrial pressures, traffic congestion near market areas, inadequate public transport, and waste management issues.
