Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: Congress announces first list of 55 candidates, yet to take a call on MPs wishing to contest

Forty-eight hours after the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the Assembly elections in Kerala, the Congress party announced its candidates for 55 seats on Tuesday.

On MPs contesting

All India Congress Committee general secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal announced the list in the evening after several hours of hectic talks, especially regarding the demands of some incumbent MPs who have expressed the desire to contest.

Notably, the party has not yet named candidates for the Kannur and Konni seats for which MPs K. Sudhakaran and Adoor Prakash respectively raised demands. Mr. Venugopal said that the party would take a decision on MPs wanting to contest later.

The initial list announced by the Congress, which is expected to contest in a couple of seats more than the 93 it contested in 2021, includes 20 incumbent MLAs.

Key contestants

Among the prominent faces on the list are Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan from the Paravur constituency, former Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala from Haripad, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph from Peravur, former MP K. Muraleedharan from Vattiyurkavu, former MP T.N. Prathapan from Manalur, T. Siddique from Kalpetta, Chandy Oommen from Puthuppally and M. Vincent from Kovalam.

The other incumbent MLAs who are contesting include Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Sajeev Joseph, I.C. Balakrishnan, Aryadan Shoukath, A.P. Anil Kumar, Saneesh Kumar Joseph, Roji M. John, Anwar Sadath, T.J. Vinod, Uma Thomas, V.P. Sajeendran, Mathew Kuzhalnadan, C.R. Mahesh and P.C. Vishnunadh. Former MLA V.T. Balram, who lost in Thrithala in 2021, has been fielded again from the constituency. Among the prominent new faces is Youth Congress president O.J. Janeesh, who will contest from Kodungalloor.

A. Suresh, a personal assistant to the former Chief Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader V.S. Achuthanandan, has been fielded from Malampuzha. Mr. Suresh formally joined the Congress party on Tuesday, after accusing the CPI(M) of having lost its ideological character. Former CPI(M) MLA P. Aisha Potty who joined the Congress few weeks ago has been fielded from Kottarakara, which she represented for three consecutive terms.

Actor Ramesh Pisharody has been fielded from the Palakkad constituency, which was previously won by Rahul Mamkootathil, who was suspended from the Congress party following rape allegations.

Former MP Ramya Haridas has been fielded from the Chirayinkeezhu constituency despite strong protests against her candidature from a section of Congress workers in Thiruvananthapuram.

Full list of candidates

Kannur

Irikkur — Sajeev Joseph

Dharmadam — Abdul Rasheed

Thalassery — K.P. Saju

Peravur — Sunny Joseph

Wayanad

Mananthavady — Usha Vijayan

Sulthan Bathery — I.C. Balakrishnan

Kalpetta — T. Siddique

Kozhikode

Nadapuram — K.M. Abhijith

Koyilandy — K. Praveen Kumar

Balussery — V.T. Sooraj

Elathur — Vidhya Balakrishnan

Kozhikode North — K. Jayanth

Malappuram

Nilambur — Aryadan Shoukath

Wandoor — A.P. Anil Kumar

Tavanur — V.S. Joy

Ponnani — Noushad Ali

Palakkad

Thrithala — V.T. Balram

Kongad — K.A. Tulsi

Malampuzha — A. Suresh

Palakkad — Ramesh Pisharody

Tharoor — K.C. Subramanian

Chittur — Sumesh Achuthan

Nenmara —T. Thankappan

Alathur — K.N. Febin

Thrissur

Manalur — T.N. Prathapan

Ollur — Shaji J. Kodankandath

Thrissur — Rajan J. Pallan

Nattika — Sunil Laloor

Kaipamangalam — T.M. Nazar

Puthukkad — K.M. Babu Raj

Chalakudy — Saneesh Kumar Joseph

Kodungalloor — O.J. Janeesh

Ernakulam

Angamaly — Roji M. John

Aluva — Anwar Sadath

Paravur — V.D. Satheesan

Ernakulam — T.J. Vinod

Thrikkakara — Uma Thomas

Kunnathunad — V.P. Sajeendran

Muvattupuzha — Mathew Kuzhalnadan

Kottayam

Vaikom — K. Binimon

Kottayam — Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan

Puthuppally — Chandy Oommen

Alappuzha

Aroor — Shanimol Usman

Cherthala — K.R. Rajendra Prasad

Haripad — Ramesh Chennithala

Mavelikara — Muthara Raj

Kollam

Karunagappally — C.R. Mahesh

Kottarakara — P. Aisha Potty

Pathanapuram — Jyothikumar Chamakkala

Kundara — P.C. Vishnunadh

Kollam — Bindhu Krishna

Chathannur — Sooraj Ravi

Thiruvananthapuram

Chirayinkeezhu — Ramya Haridas

Vattiyurkavu — K. Muraleedharan

Kovalam — M. Vincent