Kerala's recently concluded assembly elections threw up a peculiar pattern across three constituencies: Azhikode, Chittur, and Manalur. In each, independent candidates with names strikingly similar to those of main-party candidates were also on the ballot.

In two of the three seats, the winning margins were razor-thin: 126 votes in Manalur and 349 in Azhikode. In each case, the namesake independents polled more votes than the margin of victory.

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Azhikode: Three name-doppelgangers and a 349-vote finish

CPI(M)'s K. V. Sumesh won Azhikode by just 349 votes over IUML's Advocate Kareem Cheleri. Two independents named Kareem, sharing the losing candidate's first name together, polled 350 votes. Had those votes gone to Cheleri, the result would have reversed.

Sumesh, meanwhile, also faced two of his own namesakes, which together polled 17,582 votes. Even a small split of those could have altered the winning margin for Sumesh.

Manalur: 126 votes, and two Prathapans

In Manalur, CPI(M)'s C. Raveendranathan edged out Congress's T. N. Prathapan by just 126 votes. On the same ballot were an independent named Raveendranath K and another named Prathapan, each mirroring one of the two main candidates. The independent Prathapan alone polled 185 votes more than the winning margin. Had those votes gone to the Congress candidate, the seat would have flipped.

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Chittur: A wider margin outpolled by a namesake

The margin in Chittur was larger, 6,510 votes, but the namesake dynamic was no less striking. Congress's Advocate Sumesh Achuthan defeated ISJD's Advocate V. Murugadas by that margin. Yet an independent named Murugadas P polled 6,984 votes, more than the victory margin itself. Had the bulk of those votes gone to the ISJD's Murugadas, the seat would have changed hands.

Across all three constituencies, the namesake candidates were independents with minimal assets, no prior political profile, and no party affiliation. The Election Commission has no rule barring candidates with similar names from contesting the same seat. Yet as these three results show, a well-placed namesake, whether by design or coincidence, can be enough to redraw a political map.

Published on: May 7, 2026 6:52 PM IST