In a direct echo of five years ago, on the eve of the previous Assembly elections, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) is once again caught in a logistical knot to field its sitting MPs for the upcoming assembly elections.
With at least half a dozen MPs keen to contest the polls, the Congress central leadership is weighing political risks and organizational priorities, choosing between maintaining its strength in the Lok Sabha and regaining power in the state.
During the 2021 polls, the AICC strictly refused to give in to the aspirations of MPs, fearing that a wave of by-elections would deplete their numbers in the Lok Sabha. This rigid stance was later criticized as a tactical error.
Despite a landslide victory in 19 out of 20 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) failed to translate this momentum into success at the state level. The only exception at that time was for K. Muraleedharan, then representing the Vadakara Lok Sabha seat, in the Nemom Assembly segment contest on a BJP mat, which ended in disappointment.
The issue has now resurfaced with former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran openly expressing his desire to return to state politics. “I will contest if the party asks me to, and I hope the party asks me to contest,” he said.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President Sunny Joseph confirmed that some MPs have expressed their willingness to join the fray. “No decision has been taken yet. It is entirely up to the party high command,” Mr. Joseph told The Hindu.
Apart from Mr. Sudhakaran, United Democratic Front convener and Attingal MP Adoor Prakash, Kozhikode MP MK Raghavan and Vadakara MP Shafi Parambil are among those who want to secure assembly tickets.
Many senior leaders feel their influence is diminishing within the highly centralized national political scene. They argue that the only way to reclaim the traditional strongholds lost by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is to field older heavyweights with proven local clout.
Senior Congress leader and eight-time MP Kodikunnil Suresh echoed the sentiment, saying fielding experienced MPs could be justified if it helped wrest some seats from the LDF and improve the UDF’s performance.
“I am not compelled to contest but I will do so if the party asks me to do so. No such instructions have been issued so far. The most important thing is for the UDF to win,” Mr. Suresh told The Hindu.
However, acceding to these demands would also create an influx of senior leaders in a crowded field of chief ministerial aspirants. The AICC is well aware that such a move could trigger a debilitating leadership battle between returning veterans and established state leaders like VD Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala, sources said.
Published – 06 Feb 2026 20:08 IST
