Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: Actors among Twenty20 candidates

Actors Anjali Nair, Veena Nair, and Lakshmipriya are among the candidates announced by the Twenty20, an alliance partner of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). They will be contesting from the Thripunithura, Ettumanur and Perumbavoor Assembly constituencies respectively.

Charlie Paul, State executive committee member of the Twenty20, will contest from Chalakudy. Varghese George will be the candidate in Kodungalloor.

Sabu M. Jacob, chief coordinator of the Twenty20, who announced the candidates in Kochi on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) said that the party had selected personalities who made a mark in their respective fields.

Opposition from BJP local leaders

The announcement of Ms. Anjali Nair, who had acted in movies including Drishyam 2 and Chithha to name a few, marks the culmination of the differences between the Twenty20 and the Bharatiya Janata Party over the candidature in Thripunithura. The local BJP leadership was in no mood to hand over the seat to the new alliance partner. However, Twenty20 that became part of the NDA recently, was adamant on the demand. Ms. Anjali Nair, a native of Thripunithura, said that she wished to work for the welfare of the public.

Ms. Veena Nair, the candidate in the Ettumanur constituency in Kottayam, said that she had been impressed by the development model of the Twenty20.

Ms. Lakshmipriya, a native of Parippu, near Aymanam, in Kottayam and the vice-president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes, said that she had been actively participating in various campaign activities related to the Bharatiya Janata Party for long. Promy Kuriakose, social media influencer and television personality, is the candidate in Angamaly. Like in Thripunithura, the local BJP leadership in Kodungalloor had expressed their wish to have a party candidate in the segment. B. Gopalakrishnan, party’s State vice-president, was the front-runner for the seat. The BJP Kerala leadership finally conceded to the Twenty20’s demand and handed over the seat.

Other candidates announced by the party on Tuesday include Jibi Abraham (Piravom), and Thomas K. Samuel (Ranni).