Kerala Election 2026: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) surprise victory in the Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation has posed a dual challenge in Kerala – first to the ruling Left and second to the opposition Congress. While the BJP projects the win as its growing graph in the southern states, the Congress has termed it a twisting of the electoral outcome as the saffron party failed to perform decisively in other pockets.
However, the BJP’s Municipal Corporation victory was enough to send the Congress back to the drawing board internally. A senior Congress leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, admitted that the recent political outcomes, including the disqualification of sitting MLA Antony Raju has triggered renewed introspection in the Thiruvananthapuram Assembly constituency.
He said that the party is not only planning a booth-level strategy but is also rethinking its candidate strategy. As the Congress party struggles to recover from repeated setbacks in the state, the decision has now shifted towards finding a strong, credible candidate who has a precise understanding of the people and the city. The Congress leader added that some key names that appear to be frontrunners include INC office bearer and currently the KPCC vice president T. Sharath Chandra Prasad, C.P. John, who hails from Northern Kerala, K.S. Sabarinadhan and V.S. Shivakumar.
Sarath Chandra Prasad continues to be seen as a steadfast party worker with decades of grassroots involvement. John, on the other hand, enjoys stronger recognition in North Kerala and may not be inclined to shift to a contest in the capital. If Sabarinadhan’s focus shifts away from his responsibilities in the Corporation, it could lead to internal unease. Some senior leaders are said to be concerned that such a development might indirectly work to the BJP’s advantage.
Shivakumar has secured a clean chit in the vigilance case, yet there is still speculation about his political course ahead. Having earlier served as MLA and Minister, he retains administrative experience. At the same time, party observers acknowledge that the vigilance episode, despite the official clearance, has influenced public perception.
The constituency has a history of treating the capital as a mere symbolic seat and fielding candidates from outside. Coastal communities, minorities, and urban residents are feeling a strong sense of fatigue toward such leadership that appears only during elections. Therefore, the party might bet on a leader who hails from the constituency. If it happens, Sharath Chandra Prasad may get an edge against other contenders.
The Congress’s failure to consolidate votes in recent elections has turned out to be beneficial for the BJP. Political observers believe that experimenting with outside candidates may give an edge to the Left as the BJP will continue to cut into Congress’ vote share.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
