Kerala Assembly Election 2026 | Key battle to watch out for: Thrissur constituency

With BJP winning the Lok Sabha seat in 2024, the party is eyeing an encore in the Assembly seat.

With BJP having won the Lok Sabha polls in Kerala for the first time from Thrissur in 2024, the seat is a keenly watched one this time. While actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi won the seat in 2024 there were widespread allegations that the disruptions caused to the Thrissur pooram just ahead of the festival helped Gopi by a Hindu vote consolidation. This time it is Padmaja Venugopal -- ex-Congress leader and daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran who is contesting at Thrissur. The considerable Christian population in the district will be also a crucial factor.

Profile of candidates

LDF: CPI has fielded poet Alankode Leelakrishnan. He was not into active politics. But he was a cultural activist and a left fellow traveller.

UDF : Congress candidate Rajan Pallan is a former mayor of Thrissur and hence a well known figure in the region.

NDA: Padmaja Venugopal had lost the last two elections from Thrissur while contesting on a Congress ticket. After having switched to BJP, it remains to be seen if Padmaja can pull it off this time.