Congress formulating alternative plan across all sectors for Kerala assembly polls

Congress in Kerala is formulating an “alternative development plan” across all sectors as part of its strategy to win the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections. The plan is the central component of the “Lakshya 2026” roadmap, developed with poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu.

The party will present a comprehensive alternative development and governance plan for the state, focusing on economic revival and people-centric policies. Specific details are expected to be unveiled as the election campaign progresses, with input from the public and experts.

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The Congress plans to make use of the anti-incumbency against the current LDF government to win the upcoming Assembly elections . However, instead of coming to power solely by exploiting anti-incumbency sentiment, the party will face the elections with an alternative plan in all sectors of the state. An action plan for the assembly elections took its initial form in the ‘Lakshya 2026 Leaders’ Summit’ held at Sulthan Bathery on January 4 and 5.

To curb the flow of youths migrating abroad in search of jobs, an alternative policy is being formulated with the help of experts. The policy includes creating more employment opportunities in the state, linking higher education with employment. Alternative policies are to be evolved in the areas of health, human-wildlife conflict, problems in the agricultural and coastal areas, and climate change with the help of experts . The outline for the health and higher education sectors has already been prepared. The UDF will prepare the manifesto before the elections are announced.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by Congress poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu has projected the Congress-led UDF to win around 90 seats in the 2026 assembly elections. Presenting the findings before the political affairs committee meeting held as part of the Congress’s Lakshya 2026 camp in Sulthan Bathery on Sunday night, he stressed the need to make the Sabarimala gold theft case a central plank of the Congress campaign in the run up to the polls.

The survey report further says that minorities in central Kerala and Malabar, the section that voted for the LDF in the previous assembly election, have returned to the UDF fold in the local body elections.

Meanwhile, there are reports that some Congress leaders corrected election strategist Sunil Kanagolu at the ‘Laksha 2026’ leadership camp. They said Kanagolu’s assessment of the local body elections was wrong. They reportedly opposed his stance that anti-incumbency did not benefit the UDF in the local body polls. Kanagolu’s report reportedly says there was no decline in the LDF’s base votes and that the anti-incumbency sentiment was not sufficiently reflected in the local body poll results.

The report noted that a large section of Nair votes had moved to BJP in the last Lok Sabha election,and a portion of that vote bank had returned to the Congress-led front in the local body elections. The report further says that the distance between the party and the Ezhava community continues and there is little likelihood of SNDP Yogam altering its stance towards the Congress.

the report also says that there was no consolidation of Christian votes in favour of the UDF and that only Muslim votes consolidated in favor of the UDF.