As nominations closed on 21 November, a staggering 1,08,580 candidates had filed papers for 23,576 wards across 1,199 local bodies, setting the stage for one of the most eclectic contests in recent memory.
Published Nov 23, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 23, 2025 | 9:00 AM
The main characters have been fixed, and the LSG polls in Kerala seem to be a thriller.
Synopsis: As scrutiny and withdrawals will further tighten the final list, one thing is already clear: this is not just an election — it’s a full-length political festival starring families, fame, nostalgia, rebellion, and even impending weddings.
If elections to the local bodies in Kerala were a film, the cast would be unbelievable.
Where else would you find former MLAs returning to wards they had once graduated from, a retired DGP knocking on doors instead of commanding, an Arjuna Award sprinter warming up for her first political race, couples campaigning in rival wards, and siblings squaring off like a family drama written for prime time?
As nominations closed on 21 November, a staggering 1,08,580 candidates had filed papers for 23,576 wards across 1,199 local bodies, setting the stage for one of the most eclectic contests in recent memory.
After scrutiny on 22 November, Saturday, the State Election Commission approved 1,40,995 nominations and rejected 2,261. Currently, 98,451 candidates are in the fray, with the final list to be confirmed after the 24 November withdrawal deadline.
As withdrawals will further tighten the final list, one thing is already clear: this is not just an election — it’s a full-length political festival starring families, fame, nostalgia, rebellion, and even impending weddings.
If politics had a report card, this election season would show several former MLAs voluntarily repeating a class.
Kerala’s local body polls are suddenly packed with ex-legislators marching back to their political “first benches”—wards, panchayats, and municipalities.
The trend was set by former Aruvikkara MLA KS Sabarinadhan, who is now the Congress’s mayoral face in the contest for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
K.S. Sabarinadhan, UDF candidate for Kowdiar ward
An engineer and MBA who traded corporate life for politics after his father G Karthikeyan’s passing, Sabarinadhan is now seeking votes in the prestigious Kowdiar ward, taking on CPI(M)’s A Sunilkumar and BJP’s S Madhusudhanan Nair.
The Left initially mocked his “political demotion,” but within days fielded its own former Chadayamangalam MLA—R Lathadevi, wife of CPI leader and Civil Supplies Minister GR Anil, from Chadayamangalam division of the Kollam district panchayat—creating delicious political irony.
Lathadevi is contesting in her home turf of Chadayamangalam, calling it a “homecoming.”
Meanwhile, former Wadakkanchery MLA Anil Akkara, a man who practically ran the Adat panchayat in the 2000s, has answered another “popular demand” to return—this time to Ward 15.
CPI(M) veteran K Rajagopal, who had ceremoniously retired at 75, was promptly un-retired after the party decided he still knew far too many voters personally to be left out.
While former Udumbanchola MLA EM Augusthy is set for a municipal battle in Kattappana.
It’s like a political rerun where the stars have returned—this time on a much smaller stage, but with equally high stakes.
Crisp, ironed uniforms and stern looks have now given way to smiles from ear to ear — all neatly paired with a mundu, shirt, or saree.
And leading this unlikely parade is Kerala’s own trailblazer: former DGP R Sreelekha, now a BJP candidate from Sasthamangalam ward in Thiruvananthapuram.
former DGP R Sreelekha, BJP candidate from Sasthamangalam ward
Kerala’s first woman IPS officer to rise to the rank of DGP calls her foray into local polls “historic,” and she may well be right — retired top cops rarely swap VIP cavalcades for ward-level pothole complaints.
But Sreelekha is far from alone in this curious career shift.
In Kannur, former ACP TK Ratnakumar, once part of the Special Investigation Team probing the alleged suicide of Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu, has become the star attraction of Ward 23 in Sreekandapuram municipality.
former ACP T K Ratnakumar, LDF candidate contesting from Sreekandapuram municipality
Opposition parties cried foul, but Ratnakumar has glided from case files to campaign trails with surprising ease.
Two weeks in, he has perfected the smile-and-shake routine of house visits.
“After retirement, staying at home was distressing,” he admitted. “Serving people didn’t end with my uniform,” he added.
Retired SI MS Thirumeni, contesting for the LDF from Maravanthuruthu in Kottayam, agreed. A familiar face during floods, Covid-19 duty, and cultural activities, he sees politics as a natural extension of service.
For former Special Branch SI Joseph Muakalai, now the LDF’s candidate in Thalayolaparambu East, the appeal is simpler: he has time — plenty of it. “This is not politics. It’s public service,” he insisted.
And in Vaikom, Congress candidate and retired SI B Rajasekharan is back for a second run, banking on goodwill earned by solving neighbourhood disputes long before they reached the station.
Uniforms may be off, but the mission, they said, remains the same — to serve, just with fewer badges and more ballots.
The local body elections have thrown up many curious combinations, but among them are two particularly delightful stories of couples who manage to keep politics from spilling into their households—even when rival symbols hang from opposite ends of the same clothesline.
In Pullur-Periya grama panchayat, 46-year-old first-time contestant M Girija of the Congress is taking on the electoral battlefield from Kumbala Ward 7, while her husband, K Vasu, a seasoned CPI(M) Kannoth branch secretary, is politely keeping his political distance.
Despite their contrasting red-and-hand ideologies, Girija said their home has never seen a political cold war.
Vasu, a farmer and four-time branch secretary, agreed: “Ideologies differ, but the purpose is the same—service.”
To avoid awkward encounters on the campaign trail, he has confined his campaigning to neighbouring Ward 6.
She, meanwhile, is banking on her rapport with residents and a no-blame campaign style.
A few hundred kilometres away in Ranni, Pathanamthitta, politics is more of a family project.
Arun Anirudhan, the BJP member from Kakkad ward in Perunad panchayat, is seeking re-election from Ward 16, while his wife Monisha jumps into the fray as the BJP candidate in Ward 14.
The panchayat, which includes Sabarimala, currently has five BJP members.
Arun said fielding his wife is all part of a determined push to claim power this time.
It’s hardly the dream run-up to a wedding — instead of shopping trips and family get-togethers, it’s ward conventions, party meetings, and house visits.
But for Gowja Vijayakumar, 28, and Shyam Devadas, 30, there’s no alternative.
The Congress duo is deep in the local body election battlefield, even as their wedding date — 28 January 2026 — marches steadily closer.
Gowja Vijayakumar and Shyam Devadas
Their story began in the familiar corridors of student politics.
Gowja, the UDF candidate from Kallepully West in Marutharoad grama panchayat in Palakkad, first met Shyam when both were active in the Kerala Students Union (KSU) Palakkad district committee.
What started as polite hellos gradually turned into a bond strong enough to survive party meetings, campus elections, and now, political turf wars.
Gowja’s journey began at Victoria College, where she became Vice Chairperson — a position KSU clinched after 28 long years.
With a Master’s from Calicut University and an LLB in progress, she now serves as KSU’s State General Secretary.
Shyam, once a KSU leader at Nenmara NSS College, later rose to become Youth Congress District General Secretary.
Wedding aside, the couple is locked in serious electoral missions.
Gowja hopes to reclaim the Maruthrode panchayat from the CPI(M), accusing the ruling party of neglecting basic infrastructure. Shyam faces a tougher battleground in Pallassana division, a CPI(M) fortress where the Left swept 12 of 13 seats last time.
Despite the election frenzy, the pair insists their personal life won’t interrupt their public duties. Between campaign trails and wedding plans, they promise to stay fully committed to voters — proving that politics and romance can indeed share a campaign vehicle.
The local body elections are also throwing up a delightful mix of democracy and domestic drama, with several wards witnessing contests that could just as well be resolved over a family dinner.
In Klappana Panchayat, sisters are squaring off—well, almost.
Bindu, the seasoned CPI(M) candidate in Ward 1, is back for her third electoral battle after two straight wins and a stint heading the Development Affairs Standing Committee.
Her sister Mini, meanwhile, is making her electoral debut in Ward 3 as the pick of the CPI.
Klappana voters may soon find themselves choosing between political ideology and sibling loyalty.
Just a panchayat away, Anakkara’s Thotthaziyam Ward 2 is witnessing a full-fledged family face-off.
Brothers Velayudhan (Kuttan), the CPI(M) Kumbidi branch secretary, and Mohanan, the local INTUC leader, are battling it out on LDF and UDF tickets, respectively.
With both enjoying equal goodwill and living in neighbouring houses, voters might struggle more than the brothers to pick a side.
In Kizhakkoth’s Chettakadavu Ward 2, the Pookode household is vertically split.
Retired physical education teacher Ishaq Pookode carries the UDF flag, while his brother, retired engineer Ayyub Pookode, fights for the LDF.
Their political journeys diverged long ago, but this election brings the divergence to the ballot box.
Meanwhile, in Ranni’s Perunadu Panchayat, a father-son duo is taking multitasking to new heights.
VK Vasudevan is contesting for the panchayat, while his son Binu tries his luck at the block level—both under the Congress banner.
And in Thiruvalla Municipality, a mother–daughter pair is adding to the family fiesta.
Veteran councillor Sheela Varghese seeks her fifth consecutive win from Ward 34, while her daughter Shalu Mariam Varghese makes her debut next door in Ward 35, both representing Kerala Congress.
If family WhatsApp groups survive this election season, it will be nothing short of a miracle.
The local body elections this year look less like a routine democratic exercise and more like a lively talent parade where administrators, athletes, influencers, and adventurers line up for the ballot.
From Arjuna Award winners to Instagram stars, the candidate list reads like a casting call for the state’s most unpredictable political ensemble.
Asian Games medalist and Arjuna Award winner Padmini Thomas is warming up for a very different kind of race this year — one that involves doorsteps instead of finish lines.
Padmini Thomas
Contesting from the Palayam ward in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, she cheerfully calls her political debut “Class 1,” insisting she has “a lot to learn” despite her decades of sprinting past competitors.
And she’s not alone in turning Kerala’s local body polls into what increasingly resembles a talent show curated by a very confused casting director.
In Kozhikode, recently retired deputy collector E Anithakumari — who has managed everything from floods to elections — is now trying her hand at campaigning, insisting that her years of crisis management might finally be useful in managing ward-level complaints.
Meanwhile, in Ernakulam’s Eloor municipality, Subhash Chandran, who unwillingly became famous after inspiring the survival film Manjummel Boys, is exhausted from explaining that he’s contesting because of politics, not because he fell into a cave and pulled out — although that admittedly makes for a killer campaign metaphor.
At Puthuppally, former Mr Kerala and veteran gym trainer Renju Cherian is flexing more than biceps, invoking the legacy of his late neighbour Oommen Chandy while promising to bench-press the ward’s problems with compassion.
Over in Alappuzha, 26-year-old influencer Reshmi Rajendran has turned her beauty-tutorial audience into a voter-outreach base — though she insists locals know her better for her middle-class upbringing than her makeup tips.
Riya Bino
And in Pala, schoolteacher and off-roading champion Riya Bino is steering her Mahindra 4×4 right into the electoral arena, campaigning with the confidence of someone who has already conquered steeper terrain — literally. She is contesting from Kavikunnu of Pala Municipality as a UDF candidate.
Together, this eclectic lineup of athletes, administrators, influencers, and off-roaders has changed the poll scenario into the most colourful race the state has seen in years.
In the run-up to Kerala’s local-body elections, a few candidates have been stealing the spotlight—less for manifestos and more for the sheer entertainment value they bring to the campaign season.
Take 70-year-old Giridharan V V, the UDF candidate from Valapattanam’s Ward 9, whose magnificent, snowy moustache has become a full-fledged political celebrity.
Nurtured since his army days—trimmed only once for his wedding—the moustache now does most of the canvassing for him. As his photos flooded social media, voters began recognising him instantly, proving that sometimes facial hair works better than posters and loudspeakers.
Then there’s Maya V, the LDF’s candidate in Kothattukulam, who woke up one morning to find herself transformed—not politically, but memefully—into Mayavi, the beloved cartoon goblin.
A meme poster shared by Maya V
Trolls featuring Dakini, Kuttoosan and Luttappi “envying” her newfound fame only boosted her confidence.
A stand-up comedian by profession, Maya seems perfectly at ease being Kerala’s accidental fantasy-fiction star this election season.
Meanwhile, confusion reigns in Manarkad, where voters are squinting hard at posters because Jiji is replacing… well, Jiji.
With the ward numbers changed and the current member Jiji Manarkad making way for his wife—also named Jiji—UDF supporters are relying on faces rather than names to avoid campaigning for the wrong Jiji.
And in Pathanamthitta’s Kottanad panchayat, democracy has turned into a Sunitha trilogy.
UDF’s NK Sunitha, LDF’s PA Sunitha and NDA’s AK Sunitha are locked in a name-clone showdown.
Kerala’s elections were always colourful—but this year, they’re downright entertaining.
In a delightful revival of political nostalgia, several seasoned leaders in Kerala are dusting off their campaign caps and marching back into the electoral ring for the local body polls — proving that experience, like old Malayalam film remakes, never truly goes out of style.
Leading the veteran brigade is senior Congress leader Mambaram Divakaran, who is once again testing his luck, this time in the Mambaram Town ward of Vengad panchayat.
Divakaran, who once took on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Dharmadam in 2016, has had a political journey that resembles a gripping soap opera — complete with expulsion, rebellion, reconciliation, and now, redemption.
After a dramatic fallout over the Indira Gandhi Cooperative Hospital elections and a near-independent Lok Sabha bid that fizzled out after party intervention, he is back as the UDF’s star pick for ward 15.
The Congress hopes his home-turf candidature will help reclaim the seat from the CPI(M), where he will face opponents C Kumaran of the CPI(M) and M Pradesh of the BJP.
Meanwhile, in Kottayam, NCP vice-president Lathika Subhash has resigned from her post as Kerala Forest Development Corporation chairperson to supercharge her campaign in Thirunakkara ward.
Lathika Subash during campaigning
Known for her fiery exit from the Congress in 2021 — complete with a dramatic head-shaving protest — she’s now LDF’s choice in the ward.
But the true marathon man of this election is Alangad’s VB Jabbar. The UDF candidate is gearing up for his eighth consecutive panchayat election — an extraordinary 38-year unbroken run.
Jabbar first won in 1988 as a CPI candidate, stuck with the Left until local politics nudged him out, then joined the UDF, where his hometown Neerikode continued to back him faithfully.
He has hopped between wards one and two over the decades, surviving reorganisations, shifting alliances, and political storms that would have retired lesser men. With ward one now reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates and ward two for women, Jabbar has gracefully marched into ward three, nomination papers in hand and trademark confidence intact.
In Kerala politics, legends don’t retire — they simply file nominations again.
Expelled Congress rebel PK Ragesh has resurfaced in Kannur with a political plan so bold—and oddly specific—it has left the United Democratic Front (UDF) rubbing its temples.
The former deputy mayor announced that his rebel outfit, the United Democratic Protection Committee (UDPC), will field candidates in exactly 12 wards of the Kannur Corporation, the UDF’s only municipal corporation in the state.
P K Ragesh filing his nomination
Speaking to reporters on 21 November, Ragesh struck a tone halfway between nostalgia and mischief as he declared that “2015 will repeat itself.”
Back then, he reminded everyone, the UDPC had played a “decisive role” in running a corruption-free administration—so decisive, apparently, that both the UDF and the LDF could take partial credit.
This time too, Ragesh invited both fronts to support UDPC candidates, insisting the outfit stands only for unadulterated, corruption-free governance—no coalition strings attached.
“Like-minded groups” are already on board, he said, proudly naming the Equity Party of India as one of them.
Ragesh made it clear that his rebellion was aimed squarely at the Congress district leadership, which he accused of being “hijacked.”
His quarrel, he stressed, was not with the party’s ideology—just the humans currently running it.
As if to underline his seriousness (and perhaps to confuse his rivals), he announced he would contest from the Panjikayil ward himself. The UDPC has even released a policy document promising spotless governance and development, while accusing the previous Corporation administration of squandering crores.
Among the UDPC’s ambitions: building modern roads to connect key wards across Kannur—a plan that sounds practical enough that both major fronts may need more than aspirin to deal with the 12-ward headache named PK Ragesh.
The Congress in Kozhikode thought it had pulled off a political masterstroke by fielding filmmaker VM Vinu — the man behind films like Balettan and Vesham — as its “surprise candidate” and potential mayoral face for the Corporation elections.
But the plot twisted faster than a movie climax when the party realised, a little too late, that Vinu’s name was not on the final voters’ list published.
As per election rules, candidates must be registered voters in the local body they wish to contest. Vinu, who had already launched a glitzy campaign in Kallai and waxed lyrical about reviving the once-iconic Kallai river, suddenly discovered that he couldn’t even vote there — let alone contest.
The Kozhikode District Congress Committee immediately cried foul, calling it a case of “vote theft” and rushing to the Collector and the Kerala High Court.
However, the court was unimpressed. Justice PV Kunhikrishnan dismissed Vinu’s petition, remarking that celebrities don’t get special treatment: “He’s only an ordinary citizen of this country.”
The court also asked the uncomfortable question: “Why didn’t the celebrity read the newspaper?” pointing out that objections to draft rolls are open to all.
Though Vinu’s counsel alleged that the ruling party deleted his name, the court wasn’t buying it.
With its blockbuster plan falling flat, the Congress quickly rolled out a replacement — Baiju Kalakkandi, a grassroots party leader from Panniyankara — as the new Kallai candidate.
In the end, it wasn’t Kozhikode’s voters but Congress and Vinu itself that received the biggest surprise.
Taken together, these profiles are just a chromosome in a far larger political genome — not even close to exhaustive. But they hint at the extraordinary diversity, emotion, and unpredictability shaping this year’s local body elections.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
