Muraleedharan sets sights on Vattiyoorkavu for 2026 Chief Ministerial run

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan is aiming for the chief minister post in the 2026 Assembly election much to the displeasure of other senior leaders who have already set their eyes on the hot seat.

Muraleedharan who returned to Thiruvananthapuram last weekend after his humiliating defeat in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency has decided to stay put in the state capital. His focus is to contest from the Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency which he represented for eight years before he was forced to contest in the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 general election.

The irony is that 67-year-old Muraleedharan who had to be content with the third position behind BJP’s Suresh Gopi and CPI’s V S Sunil Kumar is leading a hectic schedule these days which even his political detractors may not be experiencing now. With local Congress leaders calling on him either at his home or at the office and also giving back-to-back interviews,

Muraleedharan is definitely enjoying this attention. But he is firm on his stand that he would not attend any party meetings to take stock of the Lok Sabha poll results and the imminent byelection in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and two assembly byelections in Palakkad and Chelakkara.

Muraleedharan had claimed that he would campaign in these constituencies though. However, the three-member sub-committee entrusted by the KPCC leadership to study Muraleedharan’s defeat was huddled with him on Thursday. A source close to Muraleedharan told TNIE that now he has set his eyes only on the CM post after the 2026 Assembly election by winning from Vattiyoorkavu.

“There have been allegations against Muraleedharan that he has no qualms in contesting from various constituencies across the state. I strongly believe that only he has the guts to take the challenge posed by the BJP to fight in the Nemom Assembly seat and Thrissur Lok Sabha seat,” said a source close to Muraleedharan.