Congress sets February deadline for first list of assembly poll candidates in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A confident Congress is moving to finalise the first list of its assembly election candidates by February 2026. The candidate announcement is expected to coincide with the conclusion of a UDF state tour led by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on February 28, according to party sources. The tour, slated to begin from Kasaragod on February 1, is intended to gauge public opinion ahead of the preparation of UDFs election manifesto. Like the Congress, other partners have also been asked to reach an early consensus on candidates in select seats so they can be presented at a rally featuring the candidates during the concluding programme in Thiruvananthapuram, a Congress leader said. The partys core committee has decided to begin the process of identifying potential and probable candidates in January, following the two-day Mission 2026 meeting scheduled for January 4 and 5. Leaders pointed out that, with Mission 2026, the Congress will formally mark the beginning of the final stage of election preparation which will continue till the election date is declared. The party will assess Congress chances in each constituency, with the high command having stressed winnability as the sole criterion for choosing candidates. There will be no group considerations or factional manoeuvring. The candidate selection will be merit-based, guided by leadership assessment and a three-tier survey process conducted by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), a KPCC office-bearer said. Party leaders are hopeful of achieving consensus on candidates in several constituencies by mid-January. A Congress review reportedly indicated that a significant section of the Nair community, which had shifted to the BJP in recent years, has returned to the party in the local body polls. Leaders also claimed that Christian votes have realigned with the UDF. The combined effect of these two factors was reflected in the results in Kottayam, Idukki, Thrissur and Pathanamthitta districts. The outcome of results in district panchayats, where the UDF bagged seven, also reveals the strength in political votes, a UDF leader said.
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