Kerala Assembly polls: RSP-Congress friction deepens in Eravipuram as Congress pushes Karthik Premachandran as candidate

Kerala Assembly polls see rising tensions as Congress leaders push for Karthik Premachandran's candidacy in Eravipuram amid RSP discord.

While the Eravipuram constituency in Kollam has become the epicentre of a growing internal rift within Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), local Congress leaders are now demanding that Karthik Premachandran, son of Kollam MP N.K. Premachandran, be fielded to ensure UDF victory in the Kerala Assembly elections 2026.

Citing the current nominee’s “low chances”, around 38 leaders have petitioned Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, asserting that “Karthik Premachandran’s image and his father’s influence” are vital to reclaiming the seat.

​This demand is rooted in the claim that Karthik Premachandran possesses a certain level of acceptance among both minority and majority communities, which is seen as crucial for overturning the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) recent dominance in the area. The Congress delegation, which included a panchayat president, several block and mandalam presidents, and Corporation councillors, pointed to the high vote margins secured by N.K. Premachandran in previous parliamentary elections as evidence of his strong local influence. They warned the leadership that sticking with the current candidate would fail to create any political momentum in the constituency.

​The controversy has its origins in a bitter power struggle within the RSP leadership that has already led to multiple resignations. While the majority of the RSP’s district and State committees reportedly supported Karthik Premachandran’s candidacy, a faction led by State secretary vehemently opposed the move, citing concerns over ‘dynastic politics’ and proposing M.S. Gopakumar instead. To break the deadlock, the party eventually settled on Vishnu Mohan, the State secretary of the Revolutionary Youth Front (RYF), as a consensus candidate.

​However, this has triggered a wave of dissent that threatens the UDF’s election prospects.

In protest against the decision to bypass Karthik Premachandran and the perceived “autocratic” handling of the selection process, RSP State committee member Saji D. Anand resigned from the party. Before that, Eravipuram mandalam secretary N. Naushad had stepped down from his position to mark his protest against fielding Mr. Mohan.