From Fisherman to MLA: AD Thomas Scripts Historic Upset in Alappuzha

The 30-year-old Kerala Students' Union (KSU) leader won the constituency with a massive margin of 21,015 votes, ending decades of Left dominance in the coastal constituency and emerging as one of the surprise faces of the election. Thomas secured 81,065 votes, while Chitharanjan managed 60,050 votes. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and former Congress leader MJ Job finished a distant third with 15,373 votes.

For Congress workers, the victory was more than just an electoral win; it was the rise of a grassroots fighter who battled poverty, political violence, and personal hardship before entering the Assembly.

Born to Dominic Jackson and Akkamma at Arasarkkadavu in Mararikulam, Thomas grew up in a financially struggling family. At the age of 17, he stepped into the sea with his father as a fisherman to support the household. He also worked at a petrol pump, did fishing in traditional boats, and later took up construction work to make ends meet.

Even while juggling jobs, Thomas continued his studies and earned money by taking tuition classes for school students. He completed his degree in History from St. Michael's College under the University of Kerala and entered student politics through KSU, eventually becoming the college union chairman and later KSU's Alappuzha district president.

"My entry into politics was never something unexpected. From a very young age, I was interested in interacting with people and speaking among larger groups. However, my active involvement in organisational and political activities began while I was a student at St. Michael's College, Cherthala. That is where my active political and social journey started," AD Thomas told ANI.

Known for his aggressive street politics and protest campaigns, Thomas became a familiar face in Congress agitations across Alappuzha. He reportedly faces 18 police cases linked to protests and political movements.

During the Nava Kerala Yatra, Thomas had protested in front of the convoy of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and was allegedly assaulted by security personnel. A photograph showing Thomas with a blood-soaked face later went viral on social media, with supporters projecting him as a symbol of resistance against the ruling Left government.

The image helped shape his political identity among youth workers, who began calling him "Porali" (fighter).

"But this is not just my story. Over the last ten years in Kerala, from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, many young people and students have allegedly faced brutal attacks under the protection of the state machinery. Police and pro-government youth organisations have attacked them. Even today, thousands of youngsters in Kerala are living with injuries and trauma, unable to even get out of bed properly.

The United Democratic Front and the Congress High Command gave me an opportunity to contest as a representative of all those people. I see myself only as their representative, and that is how I want to be seen," he added.

Despite holding political positions, Thomas continued fishing and doing labour work to support his family. Unmarried and the eldest among three siblings, his journey from the shores of Alappuzha to the Assembly has now become one of the defining stories of Keralam's 2026 election.

The scale of the victory has also shocked political observers, especially in a constituency where CPI(M) had traditionally enjoyed strong influence. In the 2021 Assembly polls, Chitharanjan had won the seat by over 11,000 votes. Five years later, the constituency witnessed a dramatic reversal led by a first-time candidate who built his campaign from the ground up.

- ANI