Kerala Assembly polls 2026: Idukki election heats up over land issues

As election campaigns enter their final phase, land-related concerns have come to the fore in the hilly district of Idukki. While the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which currently holds four of the five seats in the region, aims to maintain its dominance, the UDF is looking to capture all five seats cleanly. Meanwhile, in Devikulam constituency, S. Rajendran’s entry has turned the race into a high-stakes tripartite contest. Both high-profile and local leaders have highlighted land issues, title deeds, and human-animal conflict during their campaigns.

Following the release of LDF’s poll manifesto, UDF and various farmer movements made serious allegations, alleging that LDF intends to convert the area into forest land. Idukki Land Freedom Movement (ILFM) and Kerala Independent Farmers Association (KIFA) also questioned certain recommendations in the manifesto.

ILFM President Rasak Chooravelil noted that the LDF corrected its manifesto recommendations following these concerns. “This may be the first time a front corrected its manifesto in the middle of the campaign. This clearly shows that they included anti-people proposals at the beginning,” Mr. Chooravelil said.

In Peerumade, LDF is trying to retain the seat through CPI candidate K. Salimkumar. UDF fielded Cyriac Thomas for the third time; Mr. Thomas narrowly lost the last two elections. BJP candidate Ratheesh Varakumala is contesting for NDA, aiming to increase the party’s vote share.

Idukki constituency is witnessing a battle for prestige. The Congress took over the seat from the Kerala Congress (Joseph) faction by fielding Roy K. Paulose. Remarkably, this is the first time in years that a candidate is contesting the seat under the Congress’ ‘Hand’ symbol. They face LDF heavyweight and five-time MLA Roshy Augustine (Kerala Congress (M)), who is chasing a sixth victory. Hunting. Prathesh Prabha represents NDA.

In Udumbanchola, while senior leader MM Mani was initially expected to contest, CPI(M) State Committee fielded former MLA and district secretary KK Jayachandran. UDF has once again fielded Senapathi Venu, who lost by a narrow margin in 2016. NDA ally BDJS, Adv. Sangeetha Vishwanathan.

In Devikulam, a tripartite contest is currently on the cards with three-time CPI(M) MLA S. Rajendran contesting as the NDA candidate. He is facing MLA A. Raja (LDF) and Congress member F. Raja, who hails from a family with deep political roots in the region.

In Thodupuzha, after a period of five decades, Kerala Congress President PJ Joseph withdrew from the race by fielding his son Apu John Joseph. He is being challenged by LDF candidate Cyriac Chazhikadan (Kerala Congress (M)) and NDA ally Twenty20 candidate Roy Varikatt.

CPI(M) veteran MM Mani expressed confidence that the LDF will retain its four seats and potentially capture Thodupuzha. “LDF has worked in the interest of Idukki farmers and this will reflect in the voting pattern. The government has taken up all land-related issues in the district,” Mr. Mani said.

Conversely, the UDF is on a roll with its performance in the last local elections. KPCC General Secretary Ibrahimkutty Kallar said, “The political atmosphere is conducive for a clean sweep of all five seats. The visits of Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge have significantly impacted the voters.”

NDA is planning to open an account in the district by pinning its hopes on S. Rajendran in Devikulam. The party has been running high-voltage campaigns and roadshows, relying on Rajendran’s deep connections within the plantation sector to achieve a historic victory.