Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: Tight three-way contest keeps all camps on edge in Aranmula

Kerala's Aranmula faces a tense three-way election battle in 2026, with candidates from LDF, UDF, and NDA vying for victory.

The road from Prakkanam winds through a restless stretch of hills, flanked by dense rubber plantations that seem to close in from both sides. A few hundred metres from the junction at Valiyavattom, a group of women wait beside a roadside chapel, shifting uneasily in the stifling afternoon heat. It is 3 o’ clock, and the air hangs heavy with expectation.

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Suddenly the announcement vehicle is heard, punctuated by the steady beat of drums. The sky turns a dull grey as the convoy of Abin Varkey, the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate in Aranmula, rolls in. There is little time to pause. A quick reception and a handful of greetings later, he is on the microphone. His pitch is direct and pointed, targeting ‘a decade of failed governance under the Left Democratic Front (LDF).’

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“My hope rests on this turnout,” Mr. Varkey says, gesturing towards the crowd, largely made up of women. “This is what we are seeing everywhere. Anti-incumbency is evident, particularly against sitting MLA and Health Minister Veena George.” Around him, a group of energetic Kerala Students Union (KSU) workers mirror that confidence. Mr. Varkey, a Youth Congress leader, feeds off their energy as the convoy pushes ahead even as the sky darkens further.

A few kilometres away at Mannumbhagom, near Elanthoor, the mood is different but no less charged. Kummanam Rajasekharan, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) veteran candidate, is attending a family convention. A light drizzle sets in, but a group of youngsters cut through it with a vanchippattu (boat song) and welcome the candidate in traditional style. Soon, the drizzle turns into a steady downpour, winds picking up, but the candidate remains firmly in campaign mode.