Geography & Demographics

Kottayam constituency covers both urban and peri-urban terrain: from bustling Kottayam town (famous for CMS College—the oldest in India) to surrounding agrarian panchayats featuring backwaters and rubber plantations. With around 1.65 lakh registered voters in 2021, its electorate includes about 79,830 men and 85,431 women, with a favourable gender ratio of 1070 females per 1000 males. Literacy rate stands high at approximately 96.4%, and Scheduled Caste share is about 6.15%. Voter turnout was 72.57% in 2021, down from 78.38% in 2016.

Livelihoods & Economic Strata

A longstanding educational, publishing, and plantation economy hub, Kottayam offers diverse livelihoods:

Rubber cultivation and agro-production remain primary in surrounding areas.

The town is a center for publishing, media houses (Malayala Manorama, DC Books, Deepika, etc.), education and allied services.

NRI remittances support significant household income and local consumption.

Small-scale trade, retail, and services flourish in the urban centre.

Tourism & hospitality, especially around Kumarakom and Vembanad backwaters, also contribute to earnings.

Most residents belong to the middle-income segment—smallholders, salaried professionals, traders, and diaspora-supported families. A smaller BPL segment exists among marginal farmers and laborers, while the high-income group is relatively limited, tied to publishing businesses, large landowners, or NRI households.

Recent Development Activities

A landmark achievement: Kottayam district has become the first in Kerala to declare zero extreme poverty, following comprehensive surveys, micro-plans like the LIFE and ‘Manasodithiri Mannu’ schemes, and rehabilitation of over 900 households via housing and livelihood support.

The local area continues to benefit from rail track doubling between Ernakulam–Kottayam–Kollam corridor, enhancing both commuter and freight links, and indirectly boosting economic activity in Kottayam town.

A recent bureaucratic reshuffle appointed Chetan Kumar Meena as Kottayam District Collector, potentially impacting local development oversight and implementation.

Kottayam Assembly Constituency, with its 171 polling booths, is a testament to Kerala’s educational heritage, middling prosperity powered by agriculture and remittances, and evolving infrastructure. With proactive policies targeting poverty eradication and strengthened civic service frameworks, Kottayam charts a promising path toward modern, inclusive growth.