Dissent Rocks NDA Over Candidate List: M T Ramesh Denied Ticket, Noble Mathew Suspended.

Internal rifts have surfaced within the BJP and NDA following the release of the first list of candidates for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections. Senior leader and state general secretary M T Ramesh was notably absent from the list, sparking disappointment among his supporters. Although Ramesh had expressed interest in contesting from Thrissur, the party leadership chose Padmaja Venugopal for the prestigious seat. Sources close to Ramesh, who has historically increased the party’s vote share in constituencies like Kozhikode North and Aranmula, indicate that he has now decided to stay away from the electoral contest this year.

In another development, the BJP state leadership suspended Minority Morcha national vice-president Noble Mathew for publicly criticising the party’s decisions. Mathew had issued a statement against the candidature of Union Minister George Kurian in Kanjirappally, alleging that the selection process was biased towards the interests of K Surendran and P K Krishnadas. He claimed that grassroots workers were being ignored in favour of “outsiders.” Following these remarks, BJP State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar suspended Mathew for anti-party activities, highlighting the growing tension within the coalition as the campaign begins. (TNIE)

For more details: Navamalayalam.com