Election officials here said 1,252 candidates had filed their nomination papers for the April 9 assembly elections in the state when the deadline for filing them closed at 3 pm on Monday.
A total of 2,117 forms were submitted, including several forms submitted by some applicants.
According to an overnight update issued by Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar, 18 candidates filed nominations in Koduvally constituency and 17 each in Manjeswaram and Thiruvananthapuram constituencies.
The final picture of the candidates will emerge after the examination of the nomination papers on Tuesday (24 March) and on 26 March after the deadline for the withdrawal of candidature.
There were 957 candidates in the fray in 140 constituencies for the 2021 elections in Kerala.
Speaking at the release of the election pamphlet ‘Vottarivu’ by the Thiruvananthapuram unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Kerala Chief Executive Officer Rathan U. Kelkar sought the cooperation of the voters to ensure the highest voter turnout in the history of Kerala during the 2026 assembly polls.
The goal this time is to exceed the threshold of 85% voter turnout, he said.
Published – 23 March 2026 19:57 IST
