RJD declares candidates for Kerala Assembly Polls 2026

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has announced its candidates for the forthcoming Kerala assembly elections. M.K. Bhaskaran will contest from Vadakara, P.K. Praveen from Koothuparamba, and P.K. Anil Kumar from Kalpetta. The announcement was made by the party’s state president, M.V. Shreyams Kumar.

Anil Kumar, who previously served as the Wayanad DCC Secretary and INTUC State General Secretary, joined the RJD five years ago after leaving the Congress. He is the son of P.K. Gopalan, a senior Congress leader in Wayanad and former president of the Kalpetta Block Panchayat as well as a former member of the District Panchayat.

The party’s state president, M.V. Shreyams Kumar, has contested from Kalpetta in the past five elections, winning twice to represent the constituency. Despite members in the party insisting, the veteran leader said he is stepping aside this time to give an opportunity to other party members. He expressed gratitude to the party for their support.

P.K. Praveen, contesting from Koothuparamba, is the nephew of the sitting MLA, K.P. Mohanan. He previously served as a councillor for Panoor Municipality and has been elected twice as a member of the Panoor Panchayat. He also served four years as the State President of the Yuva Janata Dal and has held positions as director at both KeraFed and United Electric Industries. Currently, he serves as a director at Kerala Automobiles Limited.

M.K. Bhaskaran, contesting from Vadakara, serves as the RJD District President.