Kerala Assembly Election: Congress Forms Campaign, Manifesto Committees
The All India Congress Committee (AICC), under General Secretary K.C. Venugopal MP, issued a press release on February 12, 2026 announcing the formation of dedicated campaign and manifesto committees for the Kerala Pradesh Congress ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge approved the proposal. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is currently in a bid to unseat the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
Ramesh Chennithala, a veteran Congress leader and former Leader of Opposition, chairs the campaign committee, with Shashi Tharoor, MP from Thiruvananthapuram, as co-chairman. Convenor Shafi Parambil will coordinate efforts, supported by members Hibi Eden (MP, Ernakulam), Roji M John (MLA, Angamaly), C.R. Mahesh (MLA, Karunagappally), Liju M, Ramya Haridas (former MP), and Dipti Mary Varghese.
The manifesto committee is helmed by Chalakkudy MP Benny Behnan as chairman and Kodikkunnil Suresh as co-chairman, with Dean Kuriakose MP and Jebi Mather MP joining as members. These panels will drive strategy, voter outreach, and policy formulation across Kerala’s 140 constituencies.
Kerala’s 2026 Legislative Assembly election will renew the 140-member unicameral house, with the current term expiring on May 23, 2026. Polling is anticipated in April-May, mirroring the 2021 single-phase schedule (April 6 polling, May 2 results). In 2021, LDF clinched 99 seats under Pinarayi Vijayan, while UDF secured 41; BJP won zero but has since expanded influence via local polls and national campaigns.
UDF, led by Congress with allies like IUML and Kerala Congress factions, targets 100 seats, capitalising on LDF’s governance critiques over unemployment (youth rate ~30%), financial distress, and scandals like Sabarimala Gold Theft. BJP-NDA eyes breakthroughs in Thrissur and Nemom, leveraging Hindu consolidation amid perceived minority appeasement by rivals.
