Election officials across the State had a busy day on Saturday with candidates queueing up to file their nomination papers for the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala.
As many as 505 nomination papers were filed till 7.30 p.m. on Saturday, taking the total number filed so far to 537. With Sunday being a holiday, candidates have only one more day, Monday (March 23) to file the papers.
Prominent candidates from the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) filed their papers on Saturday. Ministers K.N. Balagopal, V. Sivankutty, Roshy Augustine, P. Rajeeve, P.A. Mohamed Riyas, K. Rajan, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, J. Chinchurani and Ramachandran Kadannapalli were among the LDF candidates who filed their papers on Saturday.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had filed papers on Thursday. CPI(M) dissident G. Sudhakaran, who is contesting as an Independent in Ambalappuzha also has filed his papers.
Senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and K. Muraleedharan, senior IUML leader P.K. Kunhalikutty and CMP leader C.P. John were among the leaders from the UDF camp who submitted their documents.
BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan, former State presidents K. Surendran and P.K. Krishnadas, and Sobha Surendran were among the BJP candidates who filed the papers on Saturday.
The scrutiny of the papers will be held on Tuesday (March 24). March 26 is the deadline for withdrawing the nominations.
Published – March 21, 2026 09:53 pm IST
