Journalists swap newsrooms for ballot boxes in Thiruvananthapuram
A QUIET but noticeable shift is unfolding in Thiruvananthapuram’s political arena, where an increasing number of journalists are stepping out of newsrooms and straight into electoral politics.
The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has long been a springboard for bigger political roles -- several of its former councillors have risen to become MLAs and Ministers. Education Minister V. Sivankutty once served as Mayor, while the current Food Minister G. R. Anil began his political journey as a councillor here.
This year, two well-known journalists -- both former office-bearers of the prestigious Trivandrum Press Club -- are contesting the civic polls, each running as an independent despite their long association with the CPI(M).
Radhakrishnan, who has served as both president and secretary of the Press Club over the past seven years, is contesting from the Kannanmoola ward. He faces a tough four-way contest against the incumbent Left councillor and candidates from the BJP and Congress.
In the Ulloor ward, veteran journalist K. Sreekantan, who recently retired from the CPI(M) party daily Deshabhimani, had initially begun campaigning under the assumption that he would be the official CPI(M) candidate.
However, when the final list was announced, his name was replaced by another party worker. Feeling sidelined, Sreekantan launched an independent bid and publicly accused senior CPI(M) leader and former Minister Kadakampally Surendran of engineering his exclusion. His rebellion has sparked considerable attention in the local media.
Journalists turning to politics is far from new in Kerala. State Health Minister Veena George famously moved from prime-time television anchoring to contesting as a CPI(M) candidate in 2016, defeating a senior Congress leader.
She retained her seat in 2021 and now handles the high-profile Health portfolio. That same year, the party fielded popular journalist M. V. Nikesh Kumar, who narrowly lost but is widely expected to secure another ticket in 2026. He has already stepped away from journalism.
With more media professionals viewing politics as a viable -- and sometimes final -- career frontier, observers say the trend reflects Kerala’s unique political culture, where journalists often leverage public credibility and familiarity to make successful transitions into public life.
