NDA ally Twenty20 announces four candidates, fields mix of influencers & political defectors

Kochi: The Kitex-backed Twenty20, which is the newest entrant to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has announced the first set of four candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections. 

The party announced candidates in four constituencies -Kunnathunad and Thrikkakara in Ernakulam, Thrikkaripur in Kasaragod and Thiruvambady in Kozhikode - deploying a mix of social media personalities, professionals and political defectors. The strategy appears designed to attract diverse voter segments ranging from urban youth to community-based networks in North Kerala.

In Kunnathunad, which is widely regarded as the Twenty20's home turf, the party has fielded Babu Divakaran, a former Congress leader and ex-chairman of the Adoor Municipality. Contesting under the party's Jackfruit symbol, Divakaran's campaign was ceremonially inaugurated by BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, underlining the growing coordination between the Twenty20 and the BJP within the NDA.

The party has fielded film director and social media influencer Akhil Marar in Thrikkakara, a key urban constituency in Kochi that has long been considered a Congress stronghold. With a substantial youth following online, Marar is expected to campaign on his outsider image and connect with younger voters. Party president Sabu M Jacob described him as a candidate capable of representing the aspirations of the urban electorate.

For the Thrikkaripur constituency, the Twenty20 has nominated Ravi Kulangara, an entrepreneur in the healthcare sector and an M.Tech graduate. Kulangara currently serves as the state president of the Thiyya Kshema Sabha, a position that gives him considerable community influence in North Malabar. Party leaders believe his social network could help the party disrupt traditional voting patterns in the region.

Meanwhile, Sunny Thomas, the party's Malabar regional coordinator, has been named as the candidate for Thiruvambady in Kozhikode district. Thomas is a former national leader of the NCP youth wing.

The early announcement of candidates reflects the Twenty20's determination to expand beyond its organisational base in Ernakulam district and rise to a state-level party from a regional player. The Twenty20, which has entered the fray as a key constituent of the NDA, is reportedly aiming to contest around 20 seats across Kerala, with at least eight constituencies in Ernakulam expected to form the core of its campaign.

However, the party's expansion strategy is unfolding even as complex seat-sharing negotiations continue within the NDA. Talks remain unresolved in several constituencies where alliance partners have overlapping claims. 

One such flashpoint is Thripunithura, where the BJP has reportedly insisted that the Twenty20 president, Sabu M Jacob, himself contest if the seat is to be allotted to the party. The party had demanded the seat, which is an A-class seat of the BJP, to field Akhil Marar there. With Marar now contesting from Thrikkakara, it is unclear whether the Tripunithura seat will be handed over to the Twenty20. 

Notably, not even a single seat in Ernakulam district featured in the first list of 47 candidates published by the BJP today, confirming that seat-sharing talks within NDA are still not finalised.

Another contentious seat is Kodungallur, where the Twenty20's ambitions clash with the BJP's plan to field senior leader B Gopalakrishnan, while the BDJS has also staked its claim.

The party will announce more candidates in the coming days.