The Congress has decided not to field any sitting Members of Parliament in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, opting instead to prioritise new and local candidates. The decision was taken despite several MPs seeking tickets to contest the elections.
The party’s second and final list of candidates confirmed this approach, indicating a shift in its electoral strategy towards selecting candidates based on performance and local presence.
In its second list, the Congress announced 37 candidates. The party had earlier released a first list of 55 candidates. In total, the Congress is contesting 92 seats in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly.
No Lok Sabha MP has been included in the list, even though several had sought nominations. Discussions and disagreements were reported within the party regarding seat-sharing and candidate selection.
Several senior MPs who had expressed interest in contesting were not accommodated. From Kannur, MP K. Sudhakaran had sought a ticket, but the party fielded T. O. Mohanan. Similarly, from Konni, MP Adoor Prakash was denied a ticket, with the party nominating Professor Satheesh Kochuparambil instead. The decisions indicate a preference for candidates with ber local presence over sitting MPs.
The Congress has not yet announced candidates for certain constituencies, including Ambalappuzha, Taliparamba, Payyannur and Ottapalam. In these constituencies, rebel leaders from the CPM are in the fray. The party has adopted a strategy of extending indirect support to these rebels.
The party has retained most of its sitting MLAs, renominating nearly all except in Tripunithura and Perumbavoor. In Perumbavoor, sitting MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly was denied a ticket due to performance-related reasons, and Manoj Moothadan has been fielded in his place.
The Congress has also introduced several new and strategic candidates. In Tripunithura, Deepak Joy has been nominated in place of K. Babu, who had earlier decided not to contest. Saji Joseph, who had indicated he might contest as an independent from Kuttanad, has been fielded from Poonjar. Youth Congress leader Abin Varkey has been nominated from Aranmula, where he will contest against BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan.
The party has also fielded candidates against prominent BJP leaders. In Nemom, former MLA K. S. Sabarinathan has been nominated against BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar. In addition, former BJP leader Sandeep Warrier, who recently joined the Congress, has been fielded from Trikaripur in Kasaragod.
