Published Mar 13, 2026 | 1:53 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 13, 2026 | 1:53 PM
The CEC is scheduled to meet on Monday.
Synopsis: The Congress high command has approved 31 candidates for the 2026 Assembly election. However, the finalisation of the candidate list has been delayed due to sitting MPs demanding Assembly tickets. The party is reportedly of the view that risking elections to Lok Sabha seats could affect its prospects in the Parliament and is not keen on fielding sitting MPs for the Assembly polls.
The Congress has cleared its first list of 31 candidates for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, largely comprising sitting MLAs. The official announcement is expected once the Election Commission (EC) declares the poll schedule. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) in New Delhi.
Even as the Congress leadership moves to finalise candidates based on Kerala’s electoral realities, several sitting MPs have approached the high command seeking Assembly tickets. All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal has reportedly insisted that selections must reflect ground-level political calculations, but many MPs are eager to contest, believing the UDF has strong prospects in the 2026 polls.
Most MPs appear confident about winning Assembly elections, yet there seems to be little discussion about how the party plans to retain its Lok Sabha seats.
The stakes are particularly high given the national context.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress won 99 seats, contributing significantly to the INDIA bloc’s total of 234. Within that, the UDF’s 18 Lok Sabha seats from Kerala form a crucial pillar of the Opposition’s strength in Parliament.
Risking even a single Lok Sabha seat through mid-term resignations or political reshuffles could have repercussions not just in Kerala, but also for the Congress’s leverage at the national level.
File photo of KC Venugopal in Lok Sabha. (Screengrab)
During its meeting on Wednesday, the CEC examined 51 potential candidates listed in two separate files. Out of these, 31 names received approval in the first round.
However, the Congress high command indicated that sitting MPs are unlikely to be fielded in the Assembly elections and that no exceptions are being considered at the moment.
There will be no Election Committee meeting on Friday; only the Screening Committee will convene. The CEC is scheduled to meet on Monday, when decisions on most of the seats are expected to be finalised.
If the current position is maintained, it would effectively rule out the possibility of Venugopal entering the Assembly race.
With 21 sitting MLAs, the party leadership has decided to retain most of them in their constituencies.
K Muraleedharan has been cleared for Vattiyoorkavu, VT Balram for Thrithala, TN Prathapan for Manalur, VP Sajeendran for Kunnathunad, Bindu Krishna for Kollam, K Praveen Kumar for Koyilandy, OJ Janeesh for Kodungallur, KC Subrahmanyan for Tarur, KP Naushad Ali for Ponnani, Sumesh Achuthan for Chittur and Aisha Potty for Kottarakkara.
Speaking after the meeting, Venugopal said the real strength of the list would be known only after the official announcement of candidates. Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Sunny Joseph were present at the CEC meeting in New Delhi, representing the Kerala unit.
Eldhose Kunnappilly. MLA of Perumbavoor. (South First)
Tickets have been given to all current MLAs except in two seats — Palakkad and Thrippunithura. Palakkad is currently represented by Rahul Mamkootathil, who is no longer with the Congress, while in Thrippunithura, the seat became vacant after K Babu stepped down.
There had been uncertainty over the candidature of Eldhose Kunnappilly in Perumbavoor, but his name was included in the list approved on Wednesday.
However, the screening committee is continuing to closely examine the criminal case pending against him.
In October 2022, the Kerala Police registered a case against Kunnappilly following allegations by a young woman teacher that he had sexually assaulted her. The charges include serious non-bailable offences such as rape and physical assault.
Meanwhile, the CEC has asked the party leadership to re-evaluate the survey reports and complaints submitted to the AICC regarding his candidature.
The CEC also approved the candidature of IC Balakrishnan from Sulthan Bathery.
CMP leader CP John.
Meanwhile, the Congress has decided to field CP John of the CMP from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency.
The party has already conveyed this decision to the CMP leadership. However, the move has reportedly triggered discontent among a section of Congress leaders in the district who are unhappy about handing over a traditionally Congress-held seat to an ally.
Seat-sharing discussions within the UDF are continuing, particularly between the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
As part of the ongoing negotiations, Thiruvambady is expected to be given to the Congress by IUML; Kongad will also be contested by the Congress.
Talks are also underway regarding possible seat exchanges involving Nadapuram and Perambra, as well as Koothuparamba and Taliparamba.
Dramatic scenes unfolded at the Delhi residence of former KPCC chief and Kannur MP K Sudhakaran on Thursday as he intensified his demand for an Assembly ticket. Joseph visited Sudhakaran at his residence amid growing tensions within the party.
Screen grab of Jayanth’s Facebook post.
Sudhakaran has already announced his candidature from the Kannur constituency without consulting the state or national leadership, creating friction within the Congress.
According to sources, Joseph conveyed that the final decision on allowing sitting MPs to contest the Assembly elections would be taken by the party high command.
The issue escalated after a Facebook post by Sudhakaran’s close aide, Jayanth Dinesh, warning that fielding another candidate in Kannur could affect the party’s prospects.
“We need our leader, K Sudhakaran, in the upcoming UDF government in Kerala,” he told South First.
An AICC source told South First that the high command had earlier intervened after Sudhakaran mounted pressure when he was replaced as KPCC chief in May 2025. According to the source, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge had assured Sudhakaran that his request to contest the Assembly polls would be considered.
However, Satheesan and Joseph are reportedly reluctant to make an exception, fearing it could trigger similar demands from other leaders.
”The leadership cannot take a quick decision on Sudhakaran’s case” the source said.
Adoor Prakash, the MP from Attingal Lok Sabha constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district, is another leader pressing the Congress leadership for an Assembly ticket. He sought a ticket from the Konni Assembly constituency in Pathanamthitta district, which is currently represented by CPI(M)’s KU Jenish Kumar.
Joseph met Prakash in Delhi and informed him that the final decision would be taken by the party high command.
A source from the KPCC told South First that Prakash has strong winnability in Konni and that the state leadership is aware of it. However, the leadership is concerned about losing the Attingal Lok Sabha seat if he shifts to Assembly politics.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prakash retained Attingal with a narrow margin of just 1,708 votes after a recount. He secured 328,051 votes, defeating CPI(M)’s V Joy, who polled 327,367 votes, while BJP leader V Muraleedharan received 311,779 votes.
Party insiders fear that if Prakash vacates the seat to contest the Assembly polls, the constituency could slip either to the CPI(M) or the BJP.
Adoor Prakash V Joy, and V Muraleedharan
Meanwhile, several other MPs are also awaiting Assembly tickets, including MK Raghavan from the Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency, Kodikunnil Suresh from the Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency, and Shafi Parambil from the Vatakara Lok Sabha constituency.
Notably, Shashi Tharoor is not in the fray.
A senior Congress leader told South First that Tharoor is aware of the ground realities and has chosen to stay away from the Assembly contest.
“Tharoor knows the ground reality. He is not very active in his constituency, and it is mostly the Congress workers who carry the burden of grassroots activities to retain the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency from the BJP. After the 2024 elections, when Rajeev Chandrasekhar gave him a tough fight, Tharoor realised the situation,” the leader said.
The leader warned that if sitting MPs are given tickets to contest the Assembly elections, senior leaders might refuse to contest. According to Congress sources, senior Congress leaders from Kerala are strongly opposing the idea of sitting MPs entering the Assembly election race.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
