Thiruvananthapuram, March 22 -- Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Adv S Smitha, formerly a CPM area committee member, from the Varkala seat in the Kerala Assembly elections.

Smitha resigned from the CPM before joining the BJP, which took over the Varkala constituency from BDJS.

The 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, the Election Commission of India announced on March 15, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4.

The tenure of the current assembly is scheduled to end on May 23.

The Model Code of Conduct comes into place, setting in process elections to the 140-member State Assembly, which is also known as the Kerala Niyamasabha.

Both the BJP-led NDA and Congre...