The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 16 released a press statement announcing the first set of candidates for the Keralam Legislative Assembly Election 2026. The announcement followed a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee held on March 12 under the presidentship of BJP National President Nitin Nabin.
According to the statement issued from the BJP Central Office in New Delhi, the meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other members of the Central Election Committee.
The first list of 47 candidates has been released for the upcoming Keralam Assembly elections scheduled for April 9. The list includes several prominent leaders and former legislators as the party intensifies preparations for the polls.
The Central Committee of the BJP has approved the following names for the ensuing elections to the Legislative Assembly of Keralam. pic.twitter.com/8ZySjrCxrw
— BJP (@BJP4India) March 16, 2026
Among the key candidates announced are BJP state president and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, former Union minister V. Muraleedharan, Union minister George Kurien, and BJP national executive member P.K. Krishnadas.
The list also features P.C. George, former Government Chief Whip during the rule of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), along with his son Adv. Shone George. Former Congress leader Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran, has also been fielded by the party.
Other notable candidates include former CPI(M) MLA S. Rajendran, former CPI MLA A. Ajit, former Additional Director General of Police R. Sreelekha IPS (Retd), and BJP’s firebrand leader Shobha Surendran.
The announcement of the first list is seen as part of the BJP’s strategy to strengthen its presence in Kerala’s electoral landscape ahead of the Assembly polls.
According to the Election Commission schedule, polling for the Kerala Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, while the counting of votes will take place on May 4.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly consists of 140 seats. A party or alliance requires 71 seats to secure a majority and form the government in the state.
As the election schedule comes into force, the political contest in Kerala is expected to witness a triangular fight among the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
