Published Mar 19, 2026 | 11:00 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 19, 2026 | 11:00 AM
Defections, walkouts, expulsions and rebel bids have become routine.
Synopsis: Kerala’s main political fronts are witnessing a wave of defections, expulsions and rebel contests ahead of the 9 April Assembly polls, with the ruling LDF seeing the most fallout. High-profile exits, including that of G Sudhakaran and multiple senior leaders, have weakened the Left, while some rebels have drawn tacit backing from the UDF.
With just weeks to go before the 9 April Assembly polls, Kerala’s main political blocs are witnessing an unusual churn as parties finalise their candidates.
Defections, walkouts, expulsions and rebel bids have become routine. The ruling LDF has seen the most fallout, with aspirants denied tickets airing long-simmering grievances and setting off a chain reaction.
The coalition, seeking a third straight term, has been more proactive in candidate selection. In Chalakudy, for instance, its candidate is Congress defector Biju S Chirayath, fielded by its ally Kerala Congress (M).
He resigned as a municipal councillor in the morning and was named the LDF-backed candidate by evening.
A popular councillor who secured a large mandate in the last local body elections, Chirayath’s crossover is a major win for the Left, which is banking on his personal appeal and grassroots reach to reclaim the seat held by Congress MLA Saneesh Kumar Joseph.
But not all its selections have gone down well within its ranks.
CC Mukundan, the sitting CPI MLA from Nattika, was expelled after accusing the party of “selling” the seat when it denied him renomination in favour of Geetha Gopi.
After briefly exploring options with the Congress, Mukundan crossed over to the BJP and is now set to contest from the same constituency, where he has said he will expose alleged corruption within the CPI.
In Kannur, the Left’s traditional bastion, TK Govindan, a CPI(M) veteran with nearly six decades in the party, quit in protest against the Taliparamba candidate selection of PK Shyamala and said he would run as an independent.
It followed a similar move by V Kunjikrishnan, a former Kannur district committee member, who had earlier turned against the party, accusing Payyannur MLA TI Madhusoodanan of misusing funds, including money collected for the family of slain worker CV Dhanraj.
The party expelled Kunjikrishnan in January. He is now set to contest as an independent from Payyannur.
Notably, Govindan and Kunjikrishnan are said to have worked behind the scenes to secure UDF backing, which could deal a heavy blow to the LDF in its traditional strongholds.
But the most high-profile blow to the Left has come from Alappuzha.
G Sudhakaran—former minister, four-time MLA and a leader with over six decades in the CPI(M)—has walked away from the party and entered the fray as an independent from Ambalappuzha.
He has publicly expressed hurt over his sidelining and disciplinary action. He has also drawn tacit backing from the UDF, which has opted not to field a candidate against him, though an official decision is still pending, setting up a triangular contest that could fracture the Left vote.
The list of dissenters does not end there.
Former Shornur MLA PK Sasi, once a prominent face in the party, who was expelled for attending a dissidents’ meeting, is reportedly exploring a comeback.
Sources say he has struck an understanding with the UDF and is likely to contest from Ottapalam as an independent.
Senior leaders A Suresh and P Aisha Potty have also walked out, accusing the party of sustained sidelining.
Suresh, a close associate of veteran VS Achuthanandan, and Potty, a three-time MLA from Kottarakkara, have switched sides and will contest from Malampuzha and Kottarakkara respectively on Congress tickets.
Former CPI(M) MLA S Rajendran and former CPI leader K Ajith have also crossed over to the BJP. Rajendran will contest from Devikulam, which he represented three times, while Ajith will contest from Vaikom, which he represented twice.
Finally, there is PV Anvar. Elected from Nilambur as a Left-backed independent during the first and second terms of Pinarayi Vijayan’s government, Anvar was once seen as a reliable ally of the CPI(M).
But his equation with the party leadership, particularly with Vijayan, began to fray and then spilled into the open.
He then resigned his seat. The UDF fielded Aryadan Shoukath in Nilambur and wrested the seat.
Anvar later aligned with the All India Trinamool Congress’s Kerala unit, which has since joined the UDF.
He is now contesting from Beypore as a UDF candidate.
The LDF’s steady bleeding has helped the UDF make significant gains.
Aisha Potty’s crossover is its biggest gain. A three-time former CPI(M) MLA from Kottarakkara, she is known for her upset win against R Balakrishna Pillai in 2006.
Fielding her in the same constituency, however, has triggered resentment within local ranks.
R Reshmi, the party’s 2021 candidate, quit in protest and joined the BJP. She will now contest as an NDA candidate from Kottarakkara.
The UDF’s decision to back a string of rebel leaders, including PK Sasi, G Sudhakaran, TK Govindan and V Kunjikrishnan, shows it is focused on winnability.
But this approach has had consequences.
In Alappuzha, KPCC general secretary MJ Job, a Congress leader with a long organisational track record in the Youth Congress and KSU, walked out and joined the BJP.
He left after the Congress leadership chose to support G Sudhakaran as an independent in Ambalappuzha instead of fielding its own candidate against LDF’s H Salam.
Job accused the leadership of imposing the decision without consulting the state unit.
The BJP was quick to capitalise and is likely to field him in Ambalappuzha.
A similar story has played out in Kollam. Thodiyoor Ramachandran, a KPCC secretary and former UDF chairman in Karunagappally, switched to the BJP after resigning from his post.
His departure followed a bitter fallout with Congress MLA CR Mahesh, whom he accused of sidelining him and denying him due recognition within the party.
These exits show the strain within the Congress as it tries to balance electoral strategy with internal cohesion.
Within the IUML, the second-largest UDF constituent after the Congress, the decision to field PMA Sameer in Tirurangadi has triggered dissent.
Soon after the announcement, Kerala State Secretary Abdurahiman Randathani broke ranks and, in a Facebook post, questioned the leadership’s choice.
Sources say the LDF is watching closely and has begun backchannel efforts to persuade Randathani to contest as an independent, with tacit support.
For now, Randathani has kept his position unclear.
The BJP has been the principal beneficiary of the two dominant blocs’ internal churn.
Mukundan’s entry from the CPI, along with earlier inductions such as S Rajendran and K Ajith, could allow the party to use their local influence to gain ground in constituencies where it has traditionally struggled.
Alongside R Reshmi, the party has also attracted Babu Divakaran from the Congress, who is now set to contest from Kunnathunadu after being overlooked. KPCC secretary Thodiyoor Ramachandran is another high-profile entrant.
But developments have not been smooth within the party.
On 17 March, Noble Mathew, national vice-president of the Minority Morcha, was suspended for “anti-organisational activities” by state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Mathew had opposed the decision to field Union Minister George Kurian from Kanjirappally, accusing the party of ignoring grassroots workers in favour of candidates with little local connect.
He also pointed to factional pulls between camps led by K Surendran and PK Krishnadas, and questioned the selection.
Mathew cast doubt on Kurian’s prospects, saying the party had overlooked more viable contenders. He is now said to be considering contesting as an independent.
Earlier, in 2025, CK Janu, tribal leader and head of the Janathipathya Rashtriya Sabha (JRS), left the NDA and joined the UDF. The JRS had earlier been part of the UDF before joining the NDA.
In 2024, after friction with the Palakkad district leadership, Sandeep Warrier joined the Congress. He is now expected to contest from Thrikkaripur, amid protests from local leaders.
The BJP is also facing discontent among senior leaders, as several heavyweights, including MT Ramesh and B Gopalakrishnan, were left out of the initial candidate list.
