Rahul Gandhi with UDF Kochi constituency candidate Mohammed Shiyas, Ernakulam candidate T J Vinod, Tripunithura candidate Deepak Joy and Trikkakara candidate Uma Thomas at an election campaign meet at Fort Kochi.
| Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat
The central Kerala region consisting of Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam and Alappuzha districts is witnessing intense electoral battles this time for political dominance.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) had a clear upper hand in the region during the 2021 Assembly polls as it bagged 25 of the 37 Assembly seats in the region leaving the United Democratic Front (UDF) with just 12.
This time around, the electoral politics in the region is witnessing some personality-driven contests, besides the keenly fought political battles. The shifting of political loyalty of some candidates and the fielding of some prominent individuals in some key constituencies have made the contests worth watching.
While the UDF dominated the election scene of Ernakulam from where nine of its candidates were elected to the 15th Assembly, the LDF had a clear upper hand in Idukki, where it bagged four of the five seats; Alappuzha, which gave the front seven of the nine seats; and Kottayam, where the front wrested five of the nine seats.
In Alappuzha district, the UDF hopes that former Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader G. Sudhakaran, who is contesting as an Independent candidate, will end the LDF reign in the Ambalappuzha constituency. The UDF has not fielded a candidate in the constituency, thereby supporting his rebellion against the CPI(M). Here, Mr. Sudhakaran is taking on CPI(M) leader and incumbent legislator H. Salam, who had once steered Mr. Sudhakaran’s election campaigns.
A teary contest is taking place in the Kayamkulam constituency where sitting MLA and CPI(M) nominee U. Prathibha is once again seeking a popular mandate. M. Liju, the Congress candidate, who had been unable to win any of the electoral battles so far, was seen making a teary appeal to the voters last week to help him end his dry spell. A teary-eyed Ms. Prathibha was seen publicly protesting against the derogatory and misogynistic remarks made by a leader of UDF partner Indian Union Muslim League who was since expelled from the organisation. It is to be seen who will have the last laugh as Ms. Prathibha and Mr. Liju are engaged in a pitched battle in the constituency.
Sons and foreign contributions
The contest in the Pala constituency is all-important for the Kerala Congress (Mani) faction and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for their survival in the electoral scene of Kerala. Jose K. Mani, son of party founder and former Minister K.M. Mani, suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Mani C. Kappan by a margin of more than 15,000 votes last time, which eventually forced him to watch from the sidelines the ascendancy of his junior colleague as a Cabinet Minister in the second Pinarayi Vijayan government. Mr. Kappan is once again out there in the constituency to ensure his berth in the upcoming Assembly. The presence of Shone George, son of P.C. George, as the BJP candidate in the constituency is the outcome of the party’s Christian outreach attempts. The party hopes to consolidate votes by leading a campaign against political Islam.
The recent controversies over the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) amendment Bill came at the most inopportune moment for the BJP as almost all the Churches have lambasted it as an attempt of the government to usurp their properties. Sensing trouble, the Mr. Shone George was the first to play it down by stating that only those who had received illegal funds from abroad needed to be worried about it. Union Minister George Kurian and Anoop Antony are the two prominent Christian candidates contesting the election in the district as BJP candidates. It is to be seen whether the controversy will leave an impact on the saffron party’s hopes in the Christian-dominated constituencies.
Shifting loyalties
In Idukki’s Devikulam, S. Rajendran, a former CPI (M) legislator, is seeking votes as the candidate of the BJP this time.
In Udumbanchola, M.M. Mani, a former Minister and sitting MLA representing the CPI(M), gave way for his party colleague K.K. Jayachandran who had represented the constituency from 2001 to 2016. The UDF candidate, Senapathy Venu, who was trounced by Mr. Mani last time, hopes that the reported unhappiness and bickering in the CPI(M), along with the reported anti-incumbency votes would see him through the polls.
Repeat contests
The UDF hopes that Ernakulam district, which gave the front the highest number of legislators from the region last election, would continue to support it in the campaign to return to power after a decade marked by political drought.
Minister and CPI(M) leader P. Rajeeve is highlighting the development initiatives in Kalamassery in his second straight contest against Abdul Gafoor, son of IUML leader the late V.K. Ebrahim Kunhu. While it was the Palarivattom bridge construction scam involving Ebrahim Kunhu and the severe infighting in the IUML that made the journey of Mr. Rajeeve to the Assembly easier, the League leadership claims to have brokered peace in the district unit of the party to present a united face and fight in the 2026 polls.
(With inputs from Hiran Unnikrishnan in Kottayam)
Published – April 06, 2026 07:06 am IST
