Don’t cast the wrong vote! Constituency-wise guide to namesake candidates
Monday 23 March 2026 10:33 PM IST
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the tightly contested 2026 Kerala Assembly Elections, a familiar ghost has returned to haunt the ballot box: the namesake candidate. Across the state, prominent leaders are finding their names duplicated on the nomination lists by independent rivals, sparking fears of "vote leakage" and intentional voter confusion. From the Chief Minister’s backyard in Dharmadam to the fierce battlegrounds of Malabar, political fronts are bracing for a shadow war where a single mistaken click on the EVM could flip a constituency.
Below is the verified breakdown of the major candidates and their respective namesakes as of March 23, 2026.
| Constituency | Prominent Candidate | Front | Dummy/Namesake Candidate(s) |
| Ambalappuzha | G. Sudhakaran | IND (UDF Support) | Sudhakaran (Native of Pathirappally) |
| Haripadu | Ramesh Chennithala | UDF (INC) | Ramesh C. (Native of Chennithala) |
| Dharmadam | Pinarayi Vijayan | LDF (CPI-M) | A.A. Vijayan |
| Beypore | P.A. Muhammad Riyas | LDF (CPI-M) | Muhammad Riyas P.C., Muhammad Riyas P.T. |
| Nilambur | P.V. Anvar | UDF (AITC) | Anvar, Anvar Moydeen, Anvar Ali, Anvar N.M. |
| Ottapalam | P.K. Sasi | IND (UDF Support) | P.K. Sasi |
| Manjeshwaram | A.K.M. Ashraf | UDF (IUML) | Muhammad Ashraf, Muhammad Ashraf K.A. |
| Ponnani | M.K. Zakir | LDF (CPI-M) | Zakir (2 candidates), Sagir |
| Thanur | P.K. Nawas | UDF (IUML) | Navas (Native of Vaniyampalam) |
| Vaikom | P. Pradeep | LDF (CPI) | Pradeep |
| Poonjar | Sebastian Kulathunkal | LDF (KC-M) | Sebastian K.J. Kulathunkal |
| Peravoor | Sunny Joseph | UDF (INC) | Sunny, Sunny Joseph |
| Mattanur | V.K. Sanoj | LDF (CPI-M) | Sanoj (Native of Melur) |
| Azhikode | Kareem Cheleri | UDF (IUML) | V.P. Abdulkareem, V.V. Abdul Kareem |
| Kannur | T.O. Mohanan | UDF (INC) | Thazhekandi Mohanan |
| Aruvikkara | V.S. Shivakumar | UDF (INC) | S. Shivakumar, Shivakumar |
| Vattiyoorkavu | K. Muraleedharan | UDF (INC) | P. Muraleedharan |
| Nemom | Rajeev Chandrasekhar | NDA (BJP) | G.S. Rajeev Kumar |
Notable Highlights
- G. Sudhakaran (Ambalappuzha): A major shift this election is former CPI(M) heavyweight G. Sudhakaran contesting as an independent with UDF support. His namesake, a native of Pathirappally, is a former local secretary who also left the party.
- P.V. Anvar (Nilambur): Facing the highest volume of confusion with four namesakes filed against him.
- The "Sunny" Factor: In Peravoor, incumbent Sunny Joseph faces two candidates with the same first name, one of whom shares his full name.
- Administrative Response: While the Election Commission allows these nominations if they are valid, parties often request the commission to assign widely different symbols to the namesakes to minimise voter error.