Kerala Assembly Election 2026 to Be a Battle Between LDF, UDF, and NDA Alliances on These Key Seats

Key Points:

The Kerala Assembly elections 2026 are scheduled to be held on 9 April 2026, with all three major alliances focusing on their respective stronghold constituencies. The LDF, UDF, and NDA have geared up for the upcoming legislative assembly elections in a state with over 2 crore voters. A tug of war among the alliances will determine which of the three comes to power and shape the fate of the state.

Constituencies such as Nemom, Kazhakoottam, Vattiyoorkavu, Aranmula, Pala, Nattika, Palakkad, and Manjeshwar are among the most significant seats under close watch by the alliances.

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The ruling LDF alliance, led by the CPI(M), has fielded candidates in six major seats and intends to retain them. Meanwhile, the opposition UDF, led by the Congress, represents the remaining three. The battle to overthrow the ruling alliance has begun, with all eyes on these constituencies.

Kerala Assembly Election 2026: Fortresses of Vijayan’s LDF to Crack?

Will incumbent leader and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan secure his third victory in the Kerala Legislative Assembly elections in 2026? Vijayan will contest from the Dharmadam constituency in Kannur, Kerala. The six seats currently under LDF rule are Kazhakoottam, Vattiyoorkavu, Aranmula, Nattika, and Nemom.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Kazhakoottam constituency was won by CPI(M) MLA Kadakampally Surendran, who had also secured the same seat in the 2016 elections. A strong footing for the Left Democratic Front faced a tough fight from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). MLA Surendran marked his victory in the Kazhakoottam constituency with a vote margin of around 23,497. BJP candidate Shobha Surendran was the first runner-up, right behind the CPI(M) leader.

The 2016 Assembly election saw a similar case, where MLA Surendran won but with a thinner margin of 7,347 against BJP’s V. Muraleedharan. The 2026 fight is between incumbent leader Surendran, BJP’s V. Muraleedharan, and INC’s Sarathchandra Prasad.

The Nemom constituency, located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is regarded as one of the strongholds for the saffron party. Nemom was the only seat from which a BJP candidate secured victory in the 2016 Assembly election, a result that was overturned in 2021.

Incumbent leader V. Sivankutty defeated former Nemom MLA O. Rajagopal in the 2021 Assembly election. This year, Sivankutty is pitted against BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

The margin between the LDF and NDA in the 2021 election was just over 3,000 votes, whereas the BJP secured victory with a margin of over 8,613 votes in 2016. Will the BJP regain power in Nemom once again?

In the Vattiyoorkavu constituency, the contest in earlier elections was between the CPI(M), INC, and NDA. K. Muraleedharan of the INC secured victory in both the 2011 and 2016 elections, defeating NDA candidates who finished as runners-up.

In the 2026 Assembly election, incumbent leader V.K. Prashanth of the CPI(M) will face Muraleedharan and BJP’s R. Sreelekha.

Kerala Health Minister and former journalist Veena George of the LDF has set her sights on a third consecutive victory in the Aranmula constituency. Veena George secured victories in the temple town in both the 2016 and 2021 elections.

The 2026 legislative election will see tough competition between Veena George, INC’s Abin Varkey, and BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan. Aranmula saw Veena George emerge victorious in the 2021 election against INC’s K. Sivadasan Nair with a vote margin exceeding 19,000. However, she had won the same seat in the 2016 election with a narrower margin of just 7,646 against the INC.

The Nattika constituency has been an LDF stronghold since 2011. The incumbent MLA, C.C. Mukundan of the CPI, secured victory in the 2021 Assembly election against INC’s Sunil Lalur. The 2026 Assembly election will witness a contest between Mukundan, who has joined the NDA, CPI’s Geetha Gopi, and INC’s Sunil Lalur.

See Also: Rajeev Chandrasekhar accuses Cong of 'sycophancy', calls self-respect contradictory in party

UDF’s Stronghold for the 2026 Kerala Assembly Election

Starting with the Palakkad constituency, the incumbent MLA Rahul Mamkoothathil was suspended from the Congress following controversy over sexual abuse allegations. The INC has fielded actor-comedian Ramesh Pisharody to contest from the Palakkad constituency against BJP’s Shobha Surendran and independent candidate N.M.R. Rasakh, who is supported by the NDA.

The Palakkad constituency has been an INC stronghold for more than a decade and was held by Shafi Parambil prior to Rahul Mamkoothathil.

Pala, located in Kottayam, Kerala, will witness a contest between Jose K. Mani of the LDF, Mani C. Kappan, an independent candidate supported by the UDF, and Shone George of the BJP. Kappan is the current MLA from the Pala constituency.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has held the Manjeshwar seat since 2011. For the 2026 Assembly election, the CPI(M) has fielded K.R. Jayanandan against incumbent minister A.K.M. Ashraf of the IUML and BJP’s K. Surendran.

The results of the 2026 Kerala Assembly election will be declared on May 4, 2026, with all eyes set on these constituencies.

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