Thiruvananthapuram: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday formally launched its campaign for the Kerala Legislative Assembly Election 2026, beginning its outreach from the Nemom constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district.

Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar inaugurated the campaign by writing the slogan “Nammukku Venam Vikasistha Nemom” (We Need a Developed Nemom) on a wall, symbolically marking the party’s election push in the constituency.

Kerala is expected to go to the polls before May 2026 to elect 140 members to the Kerala Legislative Assembly. The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the official polling schedule.

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Earlier this month, BJP national president Nitin Nabin criticised both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), accusing them of stalling Kerala’s development and engaging in power politics.

Addressing a Booth Presidents’ Conference in Karukutty, Ernakulam, Nabin said successive LDF and UDF governments had failed to move Kerala towards becoming a leading state in development. He alleged that youth potential had been curtailed due to political rivalry and asserted that the BJP would lead a “complete change” in the state.

He also accused the two alliances of corruption and appeasement politics, expressing confidence that voters would back the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.

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Meanwhile, Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty voiced confidence that the CPM-led LDF would retain power with a decisive mandate. He claimed the alliance would secure around 110 seats in the 140-member Assembly.

Speaking to the media, Sivankutty said the LDF’s public outreach programmes were receiving strong participation and maintained that the government had delivered on its development promises despite limited central assistance. He also predicted victory in Nemom, a constituency seen as strategically significant in Kerala politics.

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With political parties stepping up preparations, Kerala is poised for a high-stakes triangular contest between the LDF, the Congress-led UDF and the BJP-led NDA. Both the NDA and the UDF are aiming to unseat the incumbent CPM-led LDF government, which has been in power for nearly a decade.

Nemom, which previously elected a BJP MLA in 2016, is expected to remain a key battleground in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections as parties intensify their campaigns across the state.

PTI