The Congress is actively considering the candidature of K. Muraleedharan from Palakkad in the upcoming assembly elections. His name was reportedly suggested by Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan after consultation with the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leadership and Mr Muraleedharan is understood to have agreed to contest.
He is being considered for Palakkad, though his name continues to be speculated for Vattiyurkavu and Guruvayur constituencies. The move is believed to have been supported by Palakkad MP VK Sreekandan as well as the local leadership of the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Mr. Muraleedharan’s name also came up during the 2024 Palakkad by-elections, but the Congress fielded former Youth Congress president Rahul Mamkootathil, who led the United Democratic Front (UDF) to a record victory, defeating C. Krishnakumar (BJP) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by 18,724 votes.
However, the UDF faced turmoil when allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against Mr. Mamkootathila. He was removed from his Youth Congress post, suspended and eventually expelled from the party, facing three separate cases of sexual abuse and spending 18 days in jail.
The controversy has apparently weakened the Congress’s hold in Palakkad, opening up both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the BJP. BJP in particular is trying to take advantage of the situation by fielding a strong candidate like Sobha Surendran.
The BJP has consistently finished second in all Palakkad assembly elections since 2016. Widely seen as the BJP’s firebrand, Ms. Surendran secured 29.08% of the vote in 2016. But technocrat E. Sreedharan took the BJP’s vote share to 35.34% in 2021, just after losing 3fi,859 to the Congress. of votes. However, the BJP’s vote share fell to 28.63% in the 2024 by-election where Mr. Mamkootathil defeated Mr. Krishnakumar.
The BJP seems hesitant to field Mr. Krishnakumar again as it sees the current situation as a chance to make history in Palakkad by filling the seat with a stronger candidate. Several local BJP leaders, including former national executive member N. Sivarajan, said Ms. Surendran would be a formidable contender for Palakkad.
According to Mr. Sivarajan, the BJP has a solid base of around 20,000 votes in the Palakkad constituency. “It was Sobha Surendran who first brought the BJP to second position in Palakkad,” he pointed out.
Aware of BJP’s challenge, Congress is keen to field a strong candidate to retain the seat. Local party leaders believe that Mr. Muraleedharan is one of the most promising contenders to protect the constituency.
Published – 23 Feb 2026 20:53 IST
