Congress releases first list of 55 candidates for upcoming Keralam assembly polls, fields Chennithala, Satheesan, Joseph | Check full list

VD Satheesan, Chandy Oommen among retained sitting MLAs

The Congress on Tuesday unveiled its initial slate of candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, naming contenders in 55 constituencies out of the 92 seats it plans to contest. The list, approved by the party’s Central Election Committee, comes after prolonged internal deliberations and reflects a blend of experienced leaders, organisational figures, and fresh entrants.

Polling in the State, which has an electorate of 2.71 crore voters, will take place in a single phase on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4.

Among the prominent names, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan has been renominated from Paravur, while senior leader Ramesh Chennithala will contest from Haripad. KPCC president Sunny Joseph has been fielded from Peravoor in Kannur district. K Muraleedharan will enter the fray from Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram, and Chandy Oommen has been retained in Puthuppally following his bypoll win.

The party has reposed confidence in several sitting legislators. In total, 19 sitting MLAs feature in the list. Names include Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan from Kottayam, Anwar Sadath from Aluva, and Roji M John from Angamaly. However, Perumbavoor MLA Eldose Kunnappilly has been left out, making him the only sitting legislator excluded in this phase.

Despite speculation, no Members of Parliament have been included so far. Constituencies such as Kannur and Konni, which are associated with senior leaders K Sudhakaran and Adoor Prakash, remain undecided. Key seats, including Aranmula and Chengannur have also been kept pending as discussions continue.

The candidate list highlights a mix of political backgrounds. Former MP T N Prathapan has been nominated from Manalur, while Youth Congress State president O J Janeesh will contest from Kodungallur. Among district-level leaders, Malappuram DCC president V S Joy has been fielded from Thavanur and Palakkad DCC president T Thankappan from Nenmara.

Actor Ramesh Pisharody has been chosen as the party’s candidate from Palakkad. The seat was previously held by Rahul Mamkootathil, who was later expelled following a sexual harassment case.

Women candidates also find representation in the list, including Uma Thomas from Thrikkakara, Shanimol Usman from Aroor, Bindhu Krishna from Kollam and Ramya Haridas from Chirayinkeezhu-SC.

The party has named candidates in several reserved constituencies such as Mananthavady (ST), Sulthanbathery (ST), Balusseri (SC), Wandoor (SC), and Nattika (SC).

New entrants like K M Abhijith from Nadapuram and K Praveen Kumar from Quilandy have also been included. Aryadan Shoukath, who secured victory in the Nilambur bypoll, has been renominated from the constituency.

Seats where consensus has not yet been reached have been excluded from this round, with further announcements expected in the coming days.