Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is contesting from Dharmadam Assembly constituency as the Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate. He faces K Ranjith of the BJP and Vice President Abdul Rashid of the Congress in a three-cornered contest. Vijayan was seen trailing by just 647 votes behind Rashid of Congress, while K.K. Ranjith is in third place with 6,295 votes, trailing by 26,807 votes.
Incumbent since May 25, 2016, Vijayan led The Left Democratic Front is headed for a historic re-election in 2021, breaking Kerala’s long-standing pattern of alternating governments. Vijayan, a staunch critic of the BJP, continues to position the Left as the main ideological opponent to the RSS.
Who is Pinarayi Vijayan?
He was born in 1944 in Pinarayi in Kannur district. Pinarayi Vijayan rose through student politics before joining the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in 1964. He was arrested during the Emergency in India.
Vijayan later served as the Minister of Electricity of Kerala from 1996 to 1998 and continues to serve as the Minister of Electricity. CPI(M) Kerala State Secretary for 17 years. He then became a member of the party’s highest decision-making body, the Politburo, in 2002.
History of Dharmadam as a stronghold of CPI(M).
The Dharmadam Assembly constituency has remained a stronghold of the CPI(M), represented by Pinarayi Vijayan, since 2016. It has bagged comfortable victories from the seat, including a margin of over 50,000 votes in 2021.
The competition, which is seeking to achieve its third successive victory, revolves around the Left Democratic Front’s quest to remain in power.
Pinarayi Vijayan’s opponents in Kerala elections 2026
K Ranjith is the BJP candidate from Dharmadam (General) Assembly constituency in the 2026 Kerala elections. The 58-year-old leader is the BJP’s state minister in Kerala, according to his Facebook account.
VP Abdul Rashid is the Congress candidate from Dharmadam Assembly constituency in the 2026 Kerala elections. He is 36 years old, is a professional graduate, holds LLB from Kannur University (2018) and is a lawyer. He is the son of Hamsa KK and is registered as a voter in Payyannur constituency. His wife is a doctor.
Kerala assembly elections 2026
The Kerala Assembly election campaign ended with the Left Democratic Front, United Democratic Front and BJP accusing each other of being a “B team” or having secret understandings.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged a deal between the LDF and the BJP and described CM Pinarayi Vijayan as a “right-wing puppet”, while LDF leaders accused the Congress of forging similar ties with the BJP. In contrast, Modi claimed that the LDF and UDF share a secret partnership.
