In a stunning political comeback, G Sudhakaran won back the Ambalappuzha Assembly constituency in the Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 with a lead of 27,935 votes. While the UDF-backed Sudhakaran secured 75,184 votes, H Salam of LDF, who came second, got 47,249.

Right from the beginning, Sudhakaran proved to be a strong contender, consistently leading for hours, though Salam led for some time while the postal vote counting progressed. The veteran former CPM leader, who contested as an independent candidate this time, was backed by UDF after a bitter fallout with his former party.

The Ambalappuzha constituency has been in the limelight since the election season began, after Sudhakaran was sidelined by the CPM without being given a ticket. The home of the renowned 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar uprising, in which Communist-led workers revolted against the princely state of Travancore, Ambalappuzha has mostly favoured the LDF. This year, it was the stage for one of the most interesting election dramas, with its three-time MLA and former LDF minister, G Sudhakaran, choosing to contest as an independent candidate, and the UDF deciding not to field any candidates and instead, to back Sudhakaran. The incumbent MLA, H Salam, was the LDF candidate, while SUCIC's Johnson Mathew and BJP's Arun Anirudhan were also in the fray.

The heated exchanges between Pinarayi Vijayan, Sudhakaran and even the comments of CPM Secretary MV Govindan, belittling Sudhakaran, added an extra layer of curiosity to the developments in Ambalappuzha. Both the Manorama News–C Voter exit poll and the Onmanorama poll meter had indicated that Sudhakaran would win comfortably in Ambalappuzha.

Election history
Since 1967, LDF has lost Ambalappuzha only about three times. The Congress won only in 1987 and 2001, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party won in 1977. The constituency, from which former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan won in both 1967 and 1970, saw G Sudhakaran win in 2006, 2011, and 2016.

CPM chose not to field the sitting MLA in 2021 following its two-term norm for MLAs, and fielded H Salam. He had a strong contender in Congress, M Liju. Veteran Congress leader AK Antony's son Anoop Antony was the BJP candidate. Regardless, Salam won with a victory margin of 11,000-plus votes. Observers say the results of the 2025 local body polls show Salam's performance as the MLA wasn't up to the mark. BJP continues to have a minor role in Ambalappuzha.