Six Election Victories Contested in Kerala High Court
The Kerala High Court is currently dealing with election petitions challenging the victories of six Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from the 2026 Kerala Assembly Elections. The petitions allege that the candidates were involved in corrupt practices during their campaigns. The cases were recently presented before various benches of the court.
Among the MLAs whose victories are being challenged are Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BJP leader V Muraleedharan, CPI(M) members C Ravindranath and NK Akbar, and Congress MLAs Rajan J Pallan and Reji Cheriyan.
Specific Cases and Allegations
The petition against Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who secured the Nemom constituency by defeating CPI(M)’s V Sivankutty by 4,978 votes, was filed by Congress leader KS Sabarinadhan. Justice Ziyad Rahman AA heard the case and scheduled the next hearing for August 18.
CPI(M) MLA C Ravindranath’s election from the Manalur constituency, where he won by a mere 126 votes, is also under scrutiny. This challenge was brought forward by former MP and Congress leader TN Prathapan, with the next hearing also set for August 18 by Justice Rahman.
Justice Harisankar V Menon addressed the petition against BJP leader V Muraleedharan, who won the Kazhakkoottam constituency by 428 votes. Kadakampally Surendran, a CPI(M) leader and former Devaswom Minister, filed the case, accusing Muraleedharan of corrupt practices and promoting enmity between Hindu and Muslim communities. This matter is on the docket for August 4.
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Similarly, IUML leader Abdul Rasheed CH has challenged CPI(M) MLA NK Akbar’s win from the Guruvayur constituency by 1,998 votes. Justice Menon briefly reviewed this case, which is expected to be heard in the second week of August.
Further Challenges and Proceedings
Congress’s Rajan J Pallan, who claimed victory in the Thrissur constituency, faces a challenge before a bench led by Justice Murali Purishothaman. Concurrently, independent candidate Jaisappan Mathai has contested the win of Congress MLA Reji Cheriyan from the Kuttanad constituency, with Justice PV Balakrishnan presiding over the case and setting the next hearing for August 20.
Finally, the election of V Kunhikrishnan, an independent and expelled CPI(M) member who won from the Payyannur constituency with a margin of 7,487 votes, is also under dispute. This petition was filed by TI Madhusoodanan, the former CPI(M) representative for the area, challenging Kunhikrishnan’s victory. Justice G Girish is overseeing this case and has called for Kunhikrishnan’s response, with the next session scheduled for September 8.
