A pro-incumbency wave was witnessed in Kothamangalam, which was traditionally a Congress bastion, where sitting MLA Antony John of the CPI(M) retained the seat by a margin of 6,605 votes over arch rival Shibu Thekkumpuram of the Kerala Congress (Joseph). Mr. John won a total of 64,234 votes, while Mr. Thekkumpuram won 57,629 votes.
Dr. Joe Joseph, a medical doctor and son-in-law of Kerala Congress (Joseph) leader P.J. Joseph, who was fielded by Twenty20, who led a relatively silent campaign, came third winning 7,978 votes. Shine K. Krishnan of the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituent, got 4,638 votes. A total of 414 votes were for NOTA.
Mr. John had won by a margin of 19,282 votes in 2016, defeating T.U. Kuruvilla of the Kerala Congress (Joseph).
The key election issues in the constituency included fall in prices of agricultural commodities, labour shortage in farms, unprecedented lull in commercial activity, inadequate medical facility in the Kuttampuzha tribal hamlet, and the intense feud between Jacobite and Orthodox factions of the Malankara Syrian Church. Members of the Jacobite Church constitute over 20% of the electorate.
UDF and LDF candidates in both Muvattupuzha and Kothamangalam faced stiff competition from those fielded by corporate-backed political outfit Twenty20. It is noteworthy that Twenty20 candidates in the two constituencies, came third, having got more votes than those garnered by NDA candidates.
