Kerala Assembly elections: High command will decide on MPs contesting, says Satheesan

Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Saturday (March 14, 2026) reiterated that the Congress high command will take a call on whether MPs should be fielded in the forthcoming Assembly election.

His remarks came in the wake of a reported Facebook post by MP K. Sudhakaran, which has since been construed as an indication of his desire to contest from Kannur.

“How many times have I said before that the high command will decide? If the high command decides, what problem is there for us? It is the national leadership that determines whether MPs should contest the Assembly election. If it were up to us, we would have already announced. We do not have that authority. It is not within our jurisdiction. There is no point in repeatedly asking this,” a visibly irritated Mr. Satheesan said.

He sought to downplay Mr. Sudhakaran’s post recalling his emotional bond with Kannur. Mr. Satheesan said Mr. Sudhakaran had disavowed the post when he spoke to him the previous day, though he was unsure if the stance had since changed. “What is the problem with that Facebook post anyway? He spoke emotionally about Kannur. Is Kannur not the Parliamentary constituency he represents? Kannur district is larger than the constituency. What is wrong in that?” he asked. He added, however, that he could not give any guarantee about Mr. Sudhakaran’s candidature. “I am not such a big leader to give him a guarantee,” he said.

Mr. Satheesan suggested that the CPI(M) might be behind posters in his constituency, North Paravur, demanding Mr. Sudhakaran’s candidature. “What is the point in putting up posters in Paravur? Is it where he has asked to contest? In that case, I can make way,” he said.

Mr. Satheesan accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M) of retreating from their earlier position on women’s entry to the temple. “Didn’t they change the affidavit prepared by the United Democratic Front (UDF)? They claimed to be progressives, reformists, leaders of renaissance. They said there would be no compromise. But now, with the election around, they have backed out and fled,” he said.

Mr. Satheesan added that more surprises were in store. He said the UDF would announce its first list of 50 candidates on the very day the election is notified, with the remaining names to follow within 24 hours. “There are no issues, including in Pathanamthitta,” he said.

He also defended the practice of lobbying for candidature, recalling how he himself had done so three decades ago. “There is nothing wrong in exerting pressure. I too did it 30 years ago when I met party leaders and expressed my interest to contest,” he said.