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Congress Unveils 55 Candidates for Kerala Polls, Satheesan to Contest from Paravur

The Indian National Congress has announced its list of 55 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly elections. Key candidates include Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, who will contest from Paravur, and Kerala Congress Committee President Sunny Joseph from Peravoor. This follows the Bharatiya Janata Party's release of its first candidate list, which includes state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The Election Commission has scheduled the single-phase polling for April 9, 2026, with the vote count set for May 4.

Key Points: Congress Announces 55 Candidates for 2026 Kerala Assembly Elections

  • Congress announces 55 candidates
  • LoP VD Satheesan to contest from Paravur
  • BJP releases its first candidate list
  • Kerala polls scheduled for April 9, 2026
2 min read

Kerala polls: Congress announces list of 55 candidates, LoP Satheesan to contest from Paravur

Congress releases candidate list for Kerala polls, fielding LoP VD Satheesan from Paravur. BJP also announces first list. Election dates set for April 9.

Kerala polls: Congress announces list of 55 candidates, LoP Satheesan to contest from Paravur
"Winnability is a major criterion for selecting candidates. - KC Venugopal"

Thiruvananthapuram, March 17

Congress on Tuesday announced its list of 55 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.

The party has fielded Kerala Congress Committee President Sunny Joseph from the Peravoor seat. Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan has been fielded from the Paravur seat.

K Muraleedharan, former MP and son of veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala and former Union Minister of Industry K. Karunakaran from the Vattiyoorkavu seat.

Earlier, the party's Central Election Committee convened to finalise the candidate list for the Kerala polls. Speaking on the occasion, Congress MP KC Venugopal emphasised that "the party's Central Election Committee has cleared many names today for the major chunk of the seats. Winnability is a major criterion for selecting candidates."

This comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released the first list of candidates for the upcoming Kerala state polls. The party has fielded BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar from Nemom seat and former Union Minister of State for External Affairs of India, V Muraleedharan, from Kazhakoottam seat.

The 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, the Election Commission of India announced on Sunday, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4.

The Model Code of Conduct comes into place, setting in process elections to the 140-member State Assembly, which is also known as the Kerala Niyamasabha.

The tenure of the current assembly is scheduled to end on May 23, 2026.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said in a press conference said, "Voting will be held across 2.19 lakh polling stations in four states and one UT, with 25 lakh election officials on duty."

CEC Kumar said that around 2.7 crore electors are expected to participate in the elections in Kerala. The last date for filing nominations is March 23, with scrutiny of nominations on March 24 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures on March 26.

Following the completion ennumeration excercise of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state electoral roll, the ECI released Kerala's final voter list on February 21.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul R
Interesting to see K. Muraleedharan getting Vattiyoorkavu. The legacy of Karunakaran is still a factor in Kerala Congress, it seems. Meanwhile, BJP has also put up strong names like Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Kerala is in for a very competitive three-cornered fight this time! 🗳️
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Sunil U
As a Keralite, my main concern is development and stopping the migration of our youth for jobs. I don't care which party's son or daughter is contesting. I will vote for the candidate who has a clear plan for industries and skill development here in God's Own Country.
A
Anjali F
The election schedule is very tight! Nominations by 23rd, voting on 9th April. ECI has its work cut out. Hope the MCC is strictly enforced so we have a free and fair poll. The high voter number (2.7 crore) shows how engaged our state is.
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Michael C
Following Kerala politics from outside. The candidate selection seems very strategic, with heavyweights placed in key seats. The mention of "winnability" by Venugopal is the universal language of politics everywhere. Will be watching how this plays out against the incumbent LDF.
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Kavitha C
Congress list looks decent, but I have one respectful criticism. When will we move beyond political families? Muraleedharan, Satheesan... it feels like a game of musical chairs for established names. Where is the surprise, the grassroots worker being rewarded? That energy is missing.

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