Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: Manjeswaram set for another photo finish as key players line up

Manjeswaram gears up for a tightly contested Kerala Assembly election in 2026, featuring key candidates from UDF, NDA, and LDF.

Manjeswaram, one of Kerala’s most closely watched Assembly constituencies known for razor-thin margins, is headed for yet another tight contest in the Assembly election scheduled on April 9, 2026.

Bordering Karnataka, the constituency has largely remained a stronghold of the Indian Union Muslim League, an alliance partner of the United Democratic Front (UDF). Since the first election in 1957, the IUML has maintained dominance in the constituency, except during 1970 and 1977 (M. Ramappa), 1980 and 1982 (A. Subbarao), and 2006 (C.H. Kunjambu) when Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidates won from the segment.

The Bharatiya Janata Party began making inroads into the constituency in 1987 when H. Shankara Alva finished second, pushing the LDF to the third spot. The party’s position improved since 2011 when K. Surendran contested in the constituency. The segment has been drawing Statewide attention since 2016 when Mr. Surendran lost by a thin margin of 89 votes to IUML’s P.B. Abdul Razak. Though he did not contest in the 2019 bypoll, the party brought Mr. Surendran back to the fray in 2021 as in the 2019 bypoll the party’ vote share had reduced considerably. The BJP’s decision to field him once again has raised hopes among the party supporters as there was near parity in votes between the two fronts in the 2021 Assembly election.

However, the BJP faces a stiff challenge from incumbent MLA and UDF candidate A.K.M. Ashraf who enjoys considerable local support. Recent electoral trends seem to favour the UDF. In the latest local body elections, the UDF secured around 47% vote share in the constituency, increasing the gap with the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) vote share, which polled about 31%.

The constituency comprises eight panchayats—Enmakaje, Kumbla, Mangalpady, Manjeswaram, Meenja, Paivalike, Puthige and Vorkady. Both the UDF and the NDA have already begun election preparations in the constituency. While the LDF does not seem to have a strong winning edge in the constituency, its vote share is likely to play a decisive role in determining the outcome.

The LDF has fielded Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretariat member K.R. Jayanandan in a constituency where even slender shifts in vote share could prove decisive.