Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: RSP’s battle for survival after a decade of legislative absence

Once the titan of the Left, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) now finds itself in a turbulent sea of ​​electoral defeats and internal fractures. The party’s historical identity as a defender of the working class has been blurred by shifting alliances and repeated divisions, leaving its once impenetrable strongholds vulnerable to erosion.

The party, already weakened by the absence of the legislature for a decade, suffered a blow recently as senior leader and State committee member Saji D. Anand quit and decided to contest as a BDJS candidate. Beyond his departure, Mr. Anand leveled explosive allegations of a secret deal between the RSP and the LDF, claiming that a secret vote swap agreement for trade support had been reached between Eravipuram and Chavara constituencies.

This internal haemorrhage occurred at a time when the RSP was struggling to maintain its presence in Kerala politics. While the party was a formidable pillar of the Left in southern Kerala in the past, the RSP has struggled to find footing with the United Democratic Front (UDF) since its dramatic crossover in 2014. Although NK Premachandran maintained a strong hold on the Kollam Lok Sabha seat, this success failed to trickle down to the Assembly level. The performance of the four RSP candidates in this election will determine whether it remains a viable force or passes into legislative history.

A multifaceted war

In Eravipuram, the contest has now become a complex, multi-faceted battle. LDF incumbent M. Noushad enters the fray with the formidable advantage of a victory margin of 28,000 votes. UDF fielded Revolutionary Youth Front State Secretary Vishnu Mohan against him. While Mr. Mohan represents a young face, he faces the tough task of uniting a fragmented local body. Saji D. Anand’s entry as the BDJS candidate further complicates the arithmetic as the RSP veteran can easily siphon off traditional RSP votes and neutrals.

The situation in Chavara is equally risky. The political future of Shibu Baby John, who suffered a bitter defeat in 2016 and failed to regain the seat in 2021, depends on this result. In a strategic bid for continuity, LDF has launched MLA Dr. Sujith Vijayan officially re-nominated Pillai over Chavara, paving the way for a rematch. Kunnathur constituency, the only section reserved for Scheduled Castes in Kollam, has a deep-seated Left leaning, evidenced by Kovoor Kunjumon’s two decades of uninterrupted tenure. The Kunnathur battle is also an ideological confrontation between the mainstream RSP and its splinter group, the RSP (Leninist), which aligned itself with the LDF after the transition. In 2026, RSP once again fielded Ullas Kovoor against incumbent Kovoor Kunjumon, while BJP’s Kollam East president Raji Prasad emerged as the NDA candidate.

In Attingal, the ground reality remains daunting. In the last outing, RSP fell to third place behind CPI(M) and BJP. With LDF’s OS Ambika leading by 31,000 votes, RSP candidate Santhosh Bhadran faces a monumental task. If the party fails to reopen its account, the exodus of cadres and leaders could signal the end of the RSP as a major force in Kerala politics.