Once a titan of the Left, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) now finds itself adrift in a turbulent sea of electoral wipeouts and internal fractures. The party’s historic identity as a champion of the working class has been blurred by shifting alliances and repeated splinters, leaving its once-impenetrable strongholds vulnerable to erosion.
Already weakened by a decade of legislative absence, the party recently suffered a blow in the form of senior leader and State committee member Saji D. Anand’s defection and decision to contest as a BDJS candidate. Beyond his departure, Mr. Anand has levelled explosive allegations of a clandestine deal between the RSP and the LDF, claiming a secret vote-swap agreement was reached to trade support between the Eravipuram and Chavara constituencies.
This internal haemorrhaging comes at a time when the RSP is fighting to remain relevant in Kerala politics. While the party used to be a formidable pillar of the Left in south Kerala in the past, the RSP has struggled to find its footing since its dramatic crossover to the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 2014. Though N.K. Premachandran has maintained a powerful grip on the Kollam Lok Sabha seat, that success has failed to trickle down to the Assembly level. The performance of four RSP candidates in this election will determine whether it remains a viable force or fades into legislative history.
A multi-cornered battle
In Eravipuram, the contest has now turned into a complex multi-cornered battle. The LDF incumbent M. Noushad enters the fray with the formidable advantage of a 28,000-vote victory margin. Against him, the UDF has fielded Vishnu Mohan, the State secretary of the Revolutionary Youth Front. While Mr. Mohan represents a youthful face, he faces the uphill task of uniting a fractured local unit. The entry of Saji D. Anand as the BDJS candidate further complicates the arithmetic as the former RSP veteran could easily siphon off traditional RSP votes and neutrals.
The situation in Chavara is equally high-stakes. After suffering a stinging defeat in 2016 and failing to recover the seat in 2021, Shibu Baby John’s political future is tethered to this result. In a strategic bid for continuity, the LDF has officially re-nominated sitting MLA Dr. Sujith Vijayan Pillai for Chavara, setting the stage for a rematch. Kunnathur constituency, the only segment in Kollam reserved for the Scheduled Castes, has a deep-rooted Left tilt that is evidenced by Kovoor Kunjumon’s uninterrupted two-decade tenure. The battle for Kunnathur is also an ideological face-off between the mainstream RSP and its splinter group, the RSP (Leninist) which aligned with the LDF following the crossover. In 2026, the RSP has once again fielded Ullas Kovoor against incumbent Kovoor Kunjumon while the BJP’s Kollam East president Raji Prasad is the NDA candidate.
In Attingal, the ground reality remains daunting. In the last outing, the RSP was pushed to a distant third place behind the CPI(M) and the BJP. With the LDF’s O.S. Ambika holding a commanding 31,000-vote lead, RSP candidate Santhosh Bhadran faces a monumental task. Should the party fail to open its account again, the resulting migration of cadre and leaders may well signal the end of the RSP as a significant force in Kerala politics.
Published – March 21, 2026 03:21 am IST
