Kerala Legislative Assembly Election 2026 — Candidates Data
— K Muraleedharan
Kerala Legislative Assembly Election 2026 — Candidates Data›Candidate profile
K.
Muraleedharan
Kannoth Muraleedharan
“Veteran INC leader; son of former CM K. Karunakaran; former MP”
Political affiliation
Electoral record
| Year | Body | Constituency | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Lok Sabha | Kozhikode | Won | |
| 1991 | Lok Sabha | Kozhikode | Won | |
| 1999 | Lok Sabha | Kozhikode | Won | |
| 2009 | Lok Sabha | Wayanad | Lost | Came third behind Congress and CPI candidates. |
| 2011 | Assembly | Vattiyoorkavu (formerly Thiruvananthapuram North) | Won | Returned to state politics; constituency within Thiruvananthapuram city limits. |
| 2016 | Assembly | Vattiyoorkavu | Won | Defeated BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan and LDF’s T. N. Seema with about 37.7% vote share. |
| 2019 | Lok Sabha | Vadakara | Won | Defeated CPI(M) candidate P. Jayarajan in a closely watched contest. |
| 2024 | Lok Sabha | Thrissur | Lost | Defeat in Thrissur led him to shift focus back to Vattiyoorkavu for 2026. |
| 2026 | Assembly | Vattiyoorkavu | Pending (election scheduled for 2026) | UDF candidate in a high-profile three-cornered contest against sitting MLA V. K. Prasanth (CPI(M)) and R. Sreelekha (BJP). |
Political entry
Student politics and youth Congress, influenced by his father K. Karunakaran
- Student leader — Student movements in Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala Legislature bio notes he took 'very active and lively interest in students’ movements' during college days.
Ministerial & key roles
KPCC President
- Led Congress organisational strategies in Kerala during periods of internal factionalism.
- Oversaw campaign coordination and candidate selection debates.
Chairman, KPCC Campaign Committee
From 2018
- Coordinated Congress campaign strategy in the run-up to 2019 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent state-level campaigns.
Organisational career
State
President, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC)
Indian National Congress
Served as KPCC President, becoming a key organisational face of Congress in Kerala.
State
President / key leader
Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) – DIC(K)
Left Congress with his father in 2005 to form DIC(K); later joined NCP.
State
State leader
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
Contested 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad on NCP ticket; finished third.
State
Chairman, KPCC Campaign Committee
Indian National Congress
Appointed 19 September 2018 to head campaign strategy in Kerala.
Personal
Education
Schooling: St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram
Arts (exact major not consistently specified)
Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram
Law
Kerala Law Academy Law College, Thiruvananthapuram
Highest qualification: Graduate (B.A., LL.B. course completed)
Family
Father
K. Karunakaran
Mother
Kalyanikkutty Amma
Marital status
Married
Spouse
Jyothi Muraleedharan
Son
Arun Narayanan
Son
Sabari Nath
Known for
Sources
Last compiled: 2026-03-29
- Wikipedia biography of K. Muraleedharan
- Kerala Legislative Assembly member profiles (13th & 14th KLA)
- OneIndia leader profile (age, education, basic bio)
- News coverage of 2026 Vattiyoorkavu contest and his return after the 2024 Thrissur defeat
- Indian Express and NDTV profiles and election reports
Data compiled from publicly available sources with the assistance of AI. View constituency list.