Changanassery Election Result 2026: Vinu Job Kuzhimannil Secures Strong Mandate

Kerala Congress candidate Vinu Job Kuzhimannil secures victory in Changanassery with over 55,000 votes, defeating Kerala Congress (M)’s Job Maichil by a margin of 8,368 votes in a competitive contest.Changanassery Assembly constituency, numbered 99, lies in Kottayam district of Kerala under the Kottayam parliamentary constituency. Established in 1957 and redrawn in the 2008 delimitation, it encompasses Changanassery municipality, panchayats like Kanjirapally fringes and Paippad, with around 172,000 electors. This general seat pulses with rubber plantations, Syrian Christian dominance, vibrant festivals at St. Berchmans Church and other shrines, educational institutions, trade hubs, and NRI-driven economy, blending rural farming with semi-urban vibrancy along the Pamba River basin. Kerala Congress (M), aligned with LDF since 2016, holds sway with Finson Viswanath as current MLA. In 2021, he clinched 60,941 votes (41.39per cent), defeating INC's Jobi Thomas (57,152 votes) by 3,789 votes (2.57per cent) at 75.12per cent turnout—reversing UDF's 2011 edge and cementing LDF's shift via KC(M) alliance. Earlier KC(M) oscillated factions; BJP hovers at 12-14per cent. Key issues include rubber farmer woes from price crashes and pests, youth unemployment spurring migration, monsoon flooding along rivers, congested roads during festivals, water scarcity despite monsoons, strained healthcare-schools amid population growth, and demands for better irrigation, public transport to Kochi, and eco-preservation of wetlands. These socioeconomic-faith dynamics fuel razor-close LDF-UDF battles in this culturally rich central Kerala crossroads.