Congress's street warriors bring down LDF heavyweights, share spoils on big day

The Congress unleashed some of it's fiercest young leaders to wreak havoc in LDF fortresses in the 2026 assembly elections. Candidates from the ranks of the Youth Congress and Kerala Students Union (KSU) registered major victories, strengthening the party’s next generation of leadership and signalling a generational shift within the organisation.

For many of these young leaders, the victories carry deeper political meaning. Over the past decade, they had emerged as the face of the Congress’s street protests against the LDF government, often leading agitations, facing police action and, in several cases, criminal charges linked to protest activity.

Their wins are now being seen within the party as a political reward for years of organisational work during a difficult phase for the Congress in Kerala.

One of the standout victories came from Alappuzha, where KSU district president A D Thomas defeated CPM heavyweight P P Chitharanjan by a margin of 21,015 votes. Thomas had been a prominent face in several anti-government protests and, according to his election affidavit, faces multiple cases linked largely to protest actions and political agitations.

Another notable victory came from Vamanapuram in Thiruvananthapuram, where former Youth Congress leader Muhammed Sudheersha S won after a closely watched campaign. Rising through the ranks from KSU to Youth Congress and later as Thiruvananthapuram DCC vice-president, Sudheersha had built his political profile through sustained protest politics.

He had participated in several demonstrations against the state government, including agitation campaigns over student issues and alleged administrative failures, some of which led to clashes with police and subsequent hospitalisation of activists.

Reacting to the victories of Youth Congress and KSU leaders, Youth Congress national secretary Abin Varkey said the results reflected years of struggle by party workers. “This is the result of the sacrifices made by youth leaders and workers over the last 10 years — the beatings, arrests and jail terms they had to endure,” he told Onmanorama. Abin himself registered a win in Aranmula, defeating Health Minister Veena George. 

In Elathur, Youth Congress leader Vidya Balakrishnan defeated Forest Minister and veteran NCP leader A K Saseendran by 12,162 votes. Vidya had previously suffered a fractured leg during an anti-government protest, outlining the uneasy path of her journey to the party leadership.

Another major victory came in Balussery, where V T Sooraj defeated CPM MLA K M Sachin Dev by 16,980 votes. The contest was notable as Congress fielded another young candidate against Sachin Dev, himself among the CPM’s younger faces, effectively turning the election into a battle between rival youth leadership models.

Youth Congress state president O J Janeesh also registered victory, defeating CPI’s two-term MLA V R Sunil Kumar by 8,308 votes. Janeesh had taken charge of the organisation following Rahul Mamkootathil’s resignation and led several protest campaigns targeting the Health Department and Minister Veena George over alleged governance failures.

Within Congress circles, these victories are being viewed as recognition for a generation of leaders who entered politics when the party was out of power in the state and built their political identities through organisational work rather than access to government.

“We are driven by passion, not by the desire for power,” said Joseph Varghese, Youth Congress leader from Kottayam.

KSU state secretary Sebastian Joy echoed the sentiment, saying the victories belonged to grassroots workers who remained with the party through difficult years. “When I started in KSU, Congress was not in power. We stood with the party in its lowest phase, worked through multiple elections and gave everything for it. This victory belongs to party workers and common people,” he said.