Malampuzha has never elected a non-communist to the Assembly. Long seen as a Left bastion, it has sent stalwarts such as E.K. Nayanar, T. Sivadasa Menon and V.S. Achuthanandan to the Assembly. But now the constituency is drawing attention because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is making visible inroads.
The BJP’s recent win in Akathethara grama panchayat, one of the eight local bodies in the constituency, marks a breakthrough. Even so, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) continues to dominate, retaining control of the remaining panchayats—Elapully, Kodumbu, Malampuzha, Marutharode, Mundur and Puthupariyaram.
Third consecutive contest
BJP State vice-president C. Krishnakumar is contesting in Malampuzha for the third consecutive time. He has focussed on the constituency since his 2016 defeat to Achuthanandan by 27,142 votes. That year, he secured 28.9% of the vote, pushing the United Democratic Front (UDF) to third place, a position it is yet to recover from. In 2021, he raised his vote share to 30.68% but lost to the LDF’s A. Prabhakaran, who is seeking re-election this time.
Despite remaining the BJP’s key figure in the constituency, Mr. Krishnakumar’s back-to-back losses in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and the subsequent Palakkad Assembly byelection have weakened his political standing.
This time, Malampuzha will witness a rematch between Mr. Krishnakumar and Mr. Prabhakaran. Adding intrigue is the UDF’s choice of A. Suresh, former personal assistant to Achuthanandan, as its candidate.
Questionable influence
The UDF, whose vote share fell to 21.66% in the previous Assembly election, appears to be making a desperate bid with Mr. Suresh. Though associated with Achuthanandan, who represented Malampuzha four times, Mr. Suresh’s influence in the constituency seems tenuous. The UDF is banking on residual support from Achuthanandan’s followers, but political observers remain unconvinced about the strategy.
While Mr. Prabhakaran and Mr. Krishnakumar are well ahead in their campaigns, using both traditional and social media, Mr. Suresh has only just begun.
Formed in 1965 from parts of the erstwhile Elappully constituency, Malampuzha has consistently backed the Left. It gained prominence when Nayanar won from the segment in 1980 and 1982. Sivadasa Menon held the seat for three terms from 1987, followed by Achuthanandan, who represented it in 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016.
The row over a proposed brewery in Elapully has faded after the Kerala High Court set aside the LDF government’s approval. The UDF, which had campaigned against the project, nevertheless lost control of the panchayat. How much traction the issue will offer political parties in the coming election remains uncertain.
Published – March 20, 2026 04:00 am IST
