Surendran is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala and a former state president from 2020 to 2023, known for his role in strengthening the party’s organizational base in a state traditionally dominated by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF). Emerging from the student and youth movements associated with the BJP, he rose through the party’s ranks by assuming key organizational responsibilities and leading campaigns across Kerala.
In the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, Surendran is contesting from Manjeshwaram in Kasaragod district. His nomination is important as the BJP continues its efforts to expand its presence in north Kerala.
background:
Surendran was born on March 10, 1970 in Ulleri, Kozhikode district. He completed his higher education with a bachelor’s degree. in Chemistry from Guruvayurappan College, Zamorin, Kozhikode.
He began his political journey through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS, where he was actively involved in student politics and organizational work. In the early years of his career, he held several roles in cooperative and social organizations, including Director of North Malabar District Cooperative Marketing Society, President of Desa Seva Samskarika Kendram, and Founder Director of Yuva National Cooperative Society. He also served as an advisory board member of the Nehru Yuva Kendra.
Surendran later moved to the Kasaragod district, where he strengthened his grassroots outreach by learning local languages such as Tulu and Kannada, which enabled him to deal more effectively with the region’s diverse population.
About his constituency:
K. Surendran is contesting from Manjeshwaram in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections which is one of the 140 Kerala Legislative Assembly constituencies and forms part of Kasaragod district. It is located in the northernmost part of the state, and shares close proximity to the Karnataka state border.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the seat was won by Ashraf Ashraf of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a component of the United Democratic Front (UDF), against Surendran by a margin of 845 votes.
What happened in the previous elections?
K. Surendran has contested multiple elections across Kerala, though no legislative or parliamentary victory has been achieved so far.
In the 2011 Kerala Assembly elections, he contested from Mangeshwaram but lost to IUC candidate BP Abdul Razzaq by 5,828 votes, getting 33.8% of the votes. In the 2016 Assembly elections, he again contested from Mangeshwaram and lost by a razor-thin margin of just 89 votes, making it one of the closest contests in the state.
He also contested the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Kasaragod but was unsuccessful. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from Pathanamthitta and finished third.
In the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections, Surendran contested from Kuni and Manjeshwaram constituencies but lost both. Recently, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from Wayanad against Rahul Gandhi but lost.
Despite repeated electoral defeats, his consistent presence in key contests and organizational leadership has made him central to the BJP’s political strategy in Kerala.
