Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: The Left grapples with shifting loyalties

Changing loyalties is considered normal in electoral politics. But long-serving legislators turning to rival political camps and running for office is a rare occurrence in the state’s political landscape.

But lately, Kerala has been witnessing exactly this trend: former legislators are turning to other parties and ideologies with which they once fought tooth and nail inside and outside the Legislative Assembly, seeking a mandate under the electoral symbols of their former rivals.

So as many as six former legislators switched allegiances to rival camps and entered the fray against their former comrades. Four former Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] legislators cut ties with the party, two from the Communist Party of India (CPI) went to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) camp.

Aisha Potty, a three-time CPI(M) MLA from Kottarakara, ended her decades-long association with the party in the third week of January this year. Ms. Potty, who headed the Kollam district panchayat as the party candidate from 2000 to 2005, had started distancing herself from the CPI(M) about five years ago when the party chose to replace her with KN Balagopal, who later became the State Finance Minister from the Kottarakara Assembly constituency. Congress immediately seized this opportunity and fielded him from the same constituency.

However, the decision sent an aftershock to the Congress when Mahila Congress general secretary R. Resim, who contested unsuccessfully against Mr. Balagopal in the last election, joined the BJP after realizing that the Congress would prefer Ms. Potty over him in the 2026 elections. This time Ms Official will take on Mr Balagopal and Ms Potty from the constituency as the BJP candidate.

S. Rajendran, CPI(M)’s representative in Devikulam Assembly constituency in the 2006, 2011 and 2016 elections, joined the BJP in the second week of January. Mr. Rajendran, who has been at loggerheads with the party for some time, has left Marxist ideology behind and embraced the “nationalist” politics of the BJP. The BJP dutifully evicted him from the constituency.

Anger in Ambalappuzha

Another strong name to leave the left camp was former Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran, who had to retire from active politics after the party set the retirement age for its leaders at 75. Mr. Sudhakaran, a four-term MP, had openly expressed his anger when he was removed from the State committee during the party’s State conference held in Ernakulam in 2022, citing the age criterion.

The Congress has reportedly decided not to field a candidate in the Ambalappuzha constituency, where Mr. Sudhakaran will contest as an Independent in the 2026 elections. However, the BJP fielded a candidate from the constituency.

Then enemy, now friend

Former CPI(M) legislator PK Sasi, against whom the Congress has made serious allegations of sexual misconduct, may find a new ally in the party itself following his decision to sever ties with the CPI(M) and contest as an Independent candidate from Ottappalam. The decision of the United Democratic Front (UDF), of which the Congress is also a member, will be announced soon.

Two of the CPI’s former legislators, K. Ajith, who represented Vaikom for a decade from 2006, and C.C. Mukunadan, the first-time MLA from Nattika, have decided to shed their communist heritage and find comfort in the saffron camp. Both Mr. Ajith and Mr. Mukundan have been fielded as BJP candidates from the constituencies.

It remains to be seen whether former legislators can convince voters of their newfound affinity for their old foes and repeat their electoral performance.