Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: Aluva, a Congress citadel where LDF hopes to make inroads

Aluva has bucked anti-incumbency and electoral swings to remain a traditional Congress bastion for long.

The constituency in Ernakulam district remained a safe bet for the party in 11 Assembly elections. It was T.O. Bava who started the string of victories for the Congress after he represented the constituency in the first and second Kerala Legislative Assemblies.

The Left Front earned a relief when industrialist M.K.A. Hameed won as an Independent backed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] in 1967. However, the Congress stormed back as A.A. Kochunny and T.H. Musthafa kept the party stronghold intact for the next two terms.

K. Mohammed Ali, who won the constituency six times in a row, was part of the Indian National Congress (U) in the 1980 polls. A breakaway faction of the Congress(I) and led by A.K. Antony, the INC(U) was then an ally of the Left Democratic Front (LDF).

It took nearly two-and-a-half decades for the CPI(M) to make dents in the Congress citadel when its candidate A.M. Yousuf defeated Ali by a margin of 4,366 votes in 2006. But the Congress regained control in the next elections in 2011 after its young candidate Anwar Sadath trounced Mr. Yousuf by a margin of 13,214 votes in 2011.

He retained the seat in 2016 by a margin of 18,835 votes against V. Saleem of the CPI(M). Attempts by the Left to field an Independent candidate failed to work in 2021. Mr. Sadath secured his third consecutive win as he defeated Shelna Nishad by a margin of 18,886 votes.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had gradually increased its vote share since the 2011 elections. From 6.46% in 2011, the coalition had more than doubled its vote share to 13.19% in 2016. However, it dropped to 10.6% in the 2021 elections.

A keen contest is expected this time as the CPI(M) has fielded its own candidate against a formidable opponent. The mantle fell on former Alappuzha MP A.M Ariff. M.A. Brahmaraj, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Ernakulam North president, is the NDA candidate. The Aluva segment consists of Aluva municipality, Chengamanad, Choornikkara, Edathala, Kanjoor, Keezhmadu, Nedumbassery, and Sreemoolanagaram.