Kerala polls: Nomination deadline ends; 2039 papers filed by 1202 candidates

The deadline for filing nominations for the Kerala, Assam and Puducherry Assembly elections ended on Monday, as politics in the States and Union Territory heat-up.

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A total of 2039 nomination papers were submitted by 1202 candidates across all 140 constituencies in Kerala, officials said. In the 2021 polls, Kerala had a total of 957 candidates.

Kerala Polls Heat Up

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate K Ranjith today filed his nomination from the Dharmadam constituency in Kannur district to contest against the Chief Minister and sitting MLA Pinarayi Vijayan. MV Gopakumar, the BJP candidate for the Chengannur Assembly constituency, submitted his nomination in the presence of Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai. Kerala Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Congress candidate VD Satheesan filed his nomination papers from the Paravur constituency, looking to secure his sixth consecutive victory in the Assembly polls.

BJP in Trouble Over MCC Breach

Meanwhile, the BJP has come under trouble in Kerala, after a Model Code of Conduct (MCC) breach case was filed against the party's candidate in the Guruvayur Assembly Constituency, B Gopalakrishnan. Election authorities in Kerala initiated legal proceedings against BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan for allegedly making controversial remarks during his election campaign and over allegations of breaching the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

According to a press release from the office of CEO Rathan U Kelkar, the Thrissur District Collector took action based on a complaint regarding controversial remarks made by the BJP leader. The CEO directed that a case be registered under Section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, along with relevant provisions of the Model Code of Conduct laid down by the Election Commission. Authorities found that a video shared by the leader allegedly violated MCC norms, which prohibit seeking votes based on caste or communal sentiments and the use of religious places such as temples, mosques, or churches for election campaigning. Following the directive, the video has been removed from social media platforms, and an FIR has been registered at the Guruvayur Temple Police Station. The Model Code of Conduct came into place with the announcement of the election schedule on March 15.

However, Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar defended Gopalakrishnan, saying he asked voters a question, which did not amount to hate speech.

Speaking to ANI, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that B Gopalakrishnan was not wrong when he asked voters, "Shouldn't there be a Hindu MLA in Guruvayur?" "B Gopalakrishnan is saying the holy town of Guruvayur, where Lord Guruvayurappan's temple is. Shouldn't there be a Hindu MLA? How is that hate speech? He's asking a question of the voters. Can you imagine today in the Vatican, there being a Hindu MP? Will anybody allow in Mecca, a public representative to be a non-muslim? Gopalakrishnan ji is asking a question: Isn't it better for the voters to have a Hindu Guruvayurappan Vishwasi representing them in the holy town of Guruvayur? I don't see anything wrong with that question," the BJP leader said.

Congress Targets Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Meanwhile, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate called for the disqualification of the candidature of Rajeev Chandrasekhar, alleging that the latter has not disclosed his residence. Taking it to X, Shrinate shared a post by Congress Kerala showcasing the property tax receipt of Chandrasekhar by Bengaluru South City Corporation and questioned whether the Kerala Chief Electoral Officer will take action against such a lapse, "Isn't non-disclosure a ground for disqualification? Will @Ceokerala act against @RajeevRC_X?"

Kerala Congress highlighted that Chandrasekhar has not disclosed his 49,000 sq ft of residence in Koramangala. "This is a 1.07-acre property in one of the most expensive locations in the country, where many Indian billionaires live. Land here costs around Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000 per sq ft or more. By a fair estimate, the land value alone could be around Rs 200 crore. The property number is 408. You can download the property tax receipt using Application Number: 1600322463 from the link below: https://bbmptax.karnataka.gov.in/forms/PrintForms.aspx?rptype=3," Congress wrote on X.

Political Scene in Assam

On the last day of nominations in Assam, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) candidate Tapan Das filed his nomination and said that his nomination comes after nearly three decades of dedicated service to the party. "After 27 years of service to the Assam Gana Parishad, I was nominated, and for this, I thank Atul Bora, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Dilip Saikia. I also seek the blessings of the people of Assam," he told ANI. BJP's alliance partner AGP has released its list of 26 candidates for the Assam polls.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sushmita Dev also announced that the party will contest 23 seats in Assam. In a major development in the state, Former BJP leader and Assam Minister Nandita Gorlosa joined Congress after being denied a ticket. This comes as a ray of hope for Assam Congress, which suffered blows after senior leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Borah switched to the BJP.

Assam Congress President Gaurav Gogoi launched a sharp attack on the ruling dispensation in the state, alleging that "hate-filled politics" has taken root in the state and asserted that people are "fed up" with it. Speaking to reporters in Jorhat, the state Congress chief claimed that the Opposition parties are looking to unite to "clean up Assam's politics" ahead of the Assembly elections. "Today, there is hate-filled politics in Assam. The people of Assam are fed up with this... For this, all Opposition parties in Assam want to unite and clean up Assam's politics," Gogoi said.

Puducherry Election Dynamics

In Puducherry, BJP president VP Ramalingam filed his nomination from Raj Bhavan constituency for the Assembly elections to be held on April 9. The Raj Bhavan seat is currently held by All India NR Congress (AINRC) Minister K Lakshminarayanan, and has now been transferred to the BJP in NDA's seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming polls. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Tamil Nadu BJP in-charge and actor Khushboo were present during the filing of nomination.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Congress reached a seat-sharing pact for the 2026 Puducherry Assembly elections. 30 constituencies in Puducherry will undergo polls, with Congress to contest 16 and the DMK to contest on 14 seats. "We will share seats among the alliance parties in the 14 seats allotted to DMK," the party's Puducherry election in-charge Jagadrakshagan said. Congress and DMK are also alliance partners in Tamil Nadu, where the Chief Minister MK Stalin-led party allotted the Congress 28 of 234 seats for the 2026 Assembly elections.

The BJP is contesting 10 seats in the NDA alliance under the leadership of N Rangasamy-led AINRC. The AINRC is contesting on 16 constituencies, AIADMK and Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK) are contesting on two seats each. Debutant Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, has also thrown a hat in the ring with the list of 30 candidates. After Tamil Nadu, the TVK has decided to contest independently in the Puducherry Legislative Assembly elections as well.

Kerala, Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry are all set to hold the 2026 Assembly Election on April 9 in a single phase, with counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4. (ANI)