The Congress is actively considering K. Muraleedharan to contest from Palakkad in the upcoming Assembly elections. His name was reportedly proposed by Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan after consultations with the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leadership, and Mr. Muraleedharan is understood to have agreed to contest.
He is being considered for Palakkad even as his name continues to be speculated for Vattiyurkavu and Guruvayur constituencies. The move is believed to have been supported by Palakkad MP V.K. Sreekandan as well as the local leaderships of the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Mr. Muraleedharan’s name had also surfaced during the 2024 Palakkad byelection, but the Congress had fielded former Youth Congress State president Rahul Mamkootathil, who led the United Democratic Front (UDF) to a record victory, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) C. Krishnakumar by 18,724 votes.
The UDF, however, faced turmoil when allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against Mr. Mamkootathil. He was removed from his Youth Congress post, suspended and ultimately expelled from the party, while facing three separate cases of sexual misconduct and spending 18 days in jail.
The controversy has apparently weakened the Congress’ hold in Palakkad, providing an opening for both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the BJP. The BJP, in particular, is seeking to capitalise on the situation by fielding a strong candidate like Sobha Surendran.
The BJP has consistently finished second in all Assembly elections in Palakkad since 2016. Ms. Surendran, widely perceived as the BJP’s firebrand, secured 29.08% votes in 2016. But technocrat E. Sreedharan boosted the BJP’s vote share to 35.34% in 2021, narrowly losing to Congress’ Shafi Parambil by just 3,859 votes. However, the BJP’s vote share dropped to 28.63% in the 2024 byelection, where Mr. Mamkootathil defeated Mr. Krishnakumar.
The BJP seems hesitant to field Mr. Krishnakumar again, seeing the present situation as a chance to make history in Palakkad by capturing 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 the second position in Palakkad,” he pointed out.
Mindful of the BJP’s challenge, the 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 safeguard the constituency.
Published – February 23, 2026 08:53 pm IST
