Varkala election results 2026: CPI(M)'s V Joy defeats INC's Varkala Kahar by 2,050 votes

In Kerala's Verkala, CPI(M)'s V Joy received 55,365 votes, defeating INC's Varkala Kahar by 2,050 votes. Kahar got 53,315 votes.Varkala Assembly constituency is a general seat in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, encompassing Varkala Municipality and coastal panchayats with famous cliffs, tourism, fishing communities, and cashew industries shaping its politics.The current MLA is V. Joy from CPI(M), elected in 2021 with 68,816 votes (50.89 per cent), defeating INC's B.R.M. Shafeer (50,995 votes, 37.71 per cent) by 17,821 votes, while BDJS's S. Aji got 11,214 votes (8.29 per cent) amid 70.23 per cent turnout.For the 2026 elections, the participating candidates are Adv. V. Joy (CPI(M)), Varkala Kahar (INC), and Adv. Smitha Sundaresan (BJP).Key issues include coastal erosion threatening cliffs and beaches; poor drainage causing urban flooding; youth unemployment despite tourism and Gulf remittances; erratic water supply; overburdened PHCs; illegal sand mining; monsoon power outages; rising land prices from real estate boom; traffic congestion near tourist spots; inadequate public transport; and waste management gaps challenging this LDF stronghold's coastal-tourism economy.