BJP's big breakthrough in Kerala, wins 3 assembly seats in Thiruvananthapuram
BJP scripted a three-seat breakthrough in Kerala but remained a distant third as the Congress-led UDF swept back to power with a landslide victory.
by Ajmal Abbas · India TodayIn Short
- BJP wins Nemom, Kazhakkoottam and Chathannoor in Kerala polls
- Rajeev Chandrasekhar defeats CPI(M) minister V Sivankutty in Nemom
- V Muraleedharan, BB Gopakumar secure Kazhakkoottam and Chathannoor
The BJP registered a notable breakthrough in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, winning three seats – Nemom, Kazhakkoottam and Chathannoor – even as the Congress-led UDF swept to power in the state.
Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar secured victory in Nemom, a constituency in Thiruvananthapuram long considered the party’s strongest foothold in Kerala. He defeated CPI(M) veteran and minister V Sivankutty by 3,590 votes, while Congress’s young leader KS Sabarinathan finished third.
In Kazhakkoottam, another former Union Minister, V Muraleedharan, also emerged victorious, marking a significant gain for the BJP in the Thiruvananthapuram region. It was a closely fought triangular contest, with Muraleedharan defeating senior CPI(M) leader Kadakampally Surendran by a narrow margin. Congress’s Sarathchandra Prasad finished third in the constituency.
Meanwhile, in Chathannoor, also in the same district, BJP candidate BB Gopakumar clinched the seat in a tightly contested race. He defeated CPI’s R Rajendran by over 4,300 votes, while Congress candidate Sooraj Ravi finished third.
These victories are particularly significant for the BJP, as this marks the first time in the state’s history that the party has won more than one seat in an Assembly election, surpassing its previous best of a single seat won by O Rajagopal in 2016.
Meanwhile, the party suffered a setback in Palakkad, where its candidate Shobha Surendran lost to Congress leader Ramesh Pisharody. In Manjeshwaram, former state unit president K Surendran was defeated by the Muslim League candidate.
In Thrissur, despite the Lok Sabha constituency being represented by Union Minister Suresh Gopi, BJP candidate Padmaja Venugopal failed to make a breakthrough. Union Minister George Kurian also had a disappointing outing, finishing third in the Kanjirappally seat in Kottayam district.
Meanwhile, the Congress pulled off a landslide victory in Kerala, leading in around 100 seats and marking a return to power after a decade in the Opposition, while the incumbent LDF was restricted to about 35 seats.
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