Thiruvananthapuram: As Kerala gears up for the Assembly elections on April 9, 2026, with vote counting scheduled for May 4, two dates carry deep political and emotional significance for key contestants, potentially shaping the state’s electoral outcome.

April 9: Legacy and political survival

April 9 marks the death anniversary of Kerala Congress (M) founder K M Mani, a towering political figure who represented the Pala constituency from 1967 until 2019. For his son, Jose K Mani, the day is a test of political survival.

Since shifting the Kerala Congress (M) from the UDF to the LDF, Jose’s political journey has faced turbulence, including defeats in the 2021 Assembly elections, 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and 2025 local body elections. This year, he faces long-time rival Mani C Kappen in Pala on his father’s death anniversary, hoping a sympathy wave will bolster his prospects. The Mani family plans a visit to K M Mani’s grave before voting, combining emotion with strategy in a high-stakes contest.

May 4: Memory, justice and political reckoning

While April 9 focuses on legacy, May 4, the counting day, carries the weight of memory and justice for KK Rema, whose husband, T P Chandrasekharan, was brutally murdered in 2012. Chandrasekharan, a former CPM leader who founded the Revolutionary Marxist Party, was hacked 51 times, a crime that shocked Kerala politics.

Rema, backed by the UDF, won Vadakara in 2021 and has emerged as a prominent critic of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. IANS