Kerala Conclave 2026 Highlights: As Kerala's political conversation intensifies ahead of the elections, NDTV PowerPlay Keralam brings together the leaders and ideas shaping the state's political future, with some of the state's sharpest voices debating its future.
The day-long event is being held today in Thiruvananthapuram, featuring senior political leaders, policymakers, and analysts from across the political spectrum.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will headline the dialogue and address the gathering on 'The Keralam Model', reflecting on governance, welfare, economic priorities, and the broader vision for the state's future.
Among the voices are Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Entrepreneur and former Minister of State for Jal Shakti.
Here are Highlights of NDTV Powerplay Keralam, Kerala Conclave 2026
Kerala Always Got Bad Treatment From Centre: Pinarayi Vijayan
"Kerala has always got a bad treatment from the Centre. In 2018 the state was hit by a major disaster. We wanted help. PM Modi came to tour, we expected help, but we didn't received any help. Other states came forward to help us. They also informed centre about our need, but the Centre said we never asked for help," said Pinarayi Vijayan.
"We Condemn The Attack On Iran": Pinarayi Vijayan
"We also raise our voice for global justice. We condemn the aggressions in the Middle East, particularly the attacks on Iran," Pinarayi Vijayan said.
"Attempt To Malign Us Through Hate Campaigns Like The Kerala Story": Pinarayi Vijayan
"We have seen attempts to malign us through orchestrated hate campaigns like The Kerala story, but the real Kerala story is written in our communal harmony and our zero poverty villages," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told NDTV.
NDTV Power Play Keralam LIVE | "There's A Tacit Understanding Between Left And BJP In Kerala": Ramesh Chennithala
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "There's A Tacit Understanding Between The Left And BJP In Kerala": Ramesh Chennithala (@chennithala), Former Home Minister of Keralam@TMVRaghav @journalistaswin pic.twitter.com/5lQrTiauit
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Power Play Keralam LIVE | "Worried For Now": PK Kunhalikutty On Iran War
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "Worried for now": PK Kunhalikutty, National Secretary, IUML, on Iran war@tmvraghav pic.twitter.com/BGt69Ok1zg
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Power Play Keralam LIVE | "We Will Win Upcoming Elections In Kerala": PK Kunhalikutty
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "We will win the upcoming elections in the state": PK Kunhalikutty, National Secretary, IUML@tmvraghav pic.twitter.com/vW4g3SiwXm
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Watch: PK Kunhalikutty Decodes Muslim League's Calculus
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Minority Mandate: PK Kunhalikutty, National Secretary, IUML, decodes the Muslim League’s calculus@tmvraghav pic.twitter.com/QSJAcabiKY
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Watch: BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar On Party's Southern Strategy
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar On Party's Southern Strategy @RajeevRC_X | @shivaroor pic.twitter.com/sEGkc5CCBw
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "Unpredictable, Unreliable": Shashi Tharoor's Donald Trump Report Card
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "Unpredictable, Unreliable": Shashi Tharoor's Donald Trump Report Card@ShashiTharoor pic.twitter.com/oJFOzXiZoB
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "Rahul Gandhi Has Clear-Cut Idea About Every Issue": KC Venugopal
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "Rahul Gandhi has a clear-cut idea about every issue": Congress leader KC Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) speaks to NDTV's @Vasudha156 and @BabaManoranjan about one quality that he likes most about the Congress leader pic.twitter.com/ELS4WHr8yW
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Watch: KC Venugopal On Congress' Chief Ministerial Face For Kerala
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Who will be the Congress' chief ministerial face for Keralam?
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
Congress leader KC Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) weighs in@Vasudha156 @BabaManoranjan pic.twitter.com/8Xq6y3VOp5
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | How Middle East Crisis Affecting Kerala, KC Venugopal Weighs In
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | How is the Middle East crisis affecting Keralam?
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
Congress leader KC Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) weighs in@Vasudha156 @BabaManoranjan pic.twitter.com/OBlfWH8KyV
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Congress Faces Left's 'Money, Muscle Power' Challenge In Kerala Poll
The Congress must overcome the ruling Communist Party's "money and muscle power" to win the Kerala election in April/May, its senior leader Ramesh Chennithala said Thursday at the NDTV Kerala Power Play summit. "This is the only threat that we are seeing," he said.
To underline his point, Chennithala said the state had spent "crores of rupees" on the CPM's campaign - the unspoken reference was to taxpayers' money - over the past three weeks. "... this is unwarranted, unethical, and against democracy," he said, "It never happened in Kerala."
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Congress' KC Venugopal Shares Roadmap For Kerala Ahead Of Polls
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Can Congress regain ground in Keralam?
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
Congress leader KC Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) shares roadmap for the state ahead of polls pic.twitter.com/fLsFVNCIn0
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Congress' Protest During AI India Summit 'Embarrassment': Rajeev Chandrasekhar
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Keralam BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@RajeevRC_X) speaks to NDTV's @shivaroor on Congress' protest during AI India Summit, calls it a 'embarrassment' pic.twitter.com/tFDFBEGIGX
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "80% Of Congress Workers Trying To Figure Out What Rahul Gandhi Is Saying": Rajeev Chandrasekhar
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "80 per cent of Congress workers are scratching their heads and trying to figure out what Rahul Gandhi is saying": Keralam BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@RajeevRC_X)@shivaroor pic.twitter.com/fc9MSBhmGx
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "War Is Not Something That India Likes": Rajeev Chandrasekhar
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "War is not something that India likes. Our PM has said this on record, and first thing we should be doing is to be worried about the safety of our people and not taking sides": Keralam BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@RajeevRC_X)@shivaroor pic.twitter.com/PGi7vwCyTE
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Watch: Kerala BJP Chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar Takes A Dig At Pinarayi Vijayan
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "Pinarayi Vijayan is part of the history of Keralam politics, but he is certainly going to go down in history as one of the most inept chief ministers that the state ever had": Keralam BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@RajeevRC_X)@shivaroor pic.twitter.com/G422CE4QUQ
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "PM Modi's Government Has Helped So Many Malayalis": Rajeev Chandrasekhar
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "The appeal of PM Modi cuts across every community, every faith, every religion, every demography. His impact is deep. His credibility is deep. His government has helped so many Malayalis": Keralam BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@RajeevRC_X)@shivaroor pic.twitter.com/DQGydUoU4t
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "If No IUML...": Congress's VD Satheesan Counters 'Communal Ally' Charge
Alleging a nexus between the BJP-ruled Centre and the CPM-led Kerala government, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, VD Satheeshan, said Chief Ministers in all non-BJP-ruled states were facing heat from central agencies, but not Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan.
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "People Given An Opportunity To Govern Kerala Destroyed Economy": Rajeev Chandrasekhar
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "Group of people who have been given an opportunity for the last 10 years to govern Keralam have essentially destroyed state's economy, have created the highest inflation ever in the history of Keralam and indeed in the country today": Keralam BJP chief… pic.twitter.com/ADKsq18qbi
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "Politics In Kerala Will Be About Fake Promises" Rajeev Chandrasekhar
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "I think we have effectively, in the last 10 months, settled this issue once and for all, that politics in Keralam will be about manufactured controversies, about fake promises, about manufactured narrative of secularism, and the so-called 'Kerala model'":… pic.twitter.com/veIOOiO8Lz
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Rajeev Chandrasekhar Speaks At Conclave
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "This Time, People Will Vote For Our Party In Assembly Polls": Ramesh Chennithala
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "The people of Keralam vote in favour of the Congress party in parliament, and this time, people will vote for our party in the assembly polls also": Ramesh Chennithala (@chennithala), Former Home Minister of Keralam@TMVRaghav | @journalistaswin pic.twitter.com/nF9mjkBuGe
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "We Have A Process Of Selection Of Candidates": Ramesh Chennithala
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | We have a process of selection of candidates, but in CPI(M) there is no such discussion, whatever Pinarayi Vijayan says, everyone says yes to it: Ramesh Chennithala (@chennithala), Former Home Minister of Keralam, Congress@TMVRaghav | @journalistaswin pic.twitter.com/REBxtBBMcJ
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Ramesh Chennithala Shares Insights From CEC Meeting
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Will MPs be contesting the upcoming polls?
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
Ramesh Chennithala (@chennithala), Former Home Minister of Keralam, shares insights from the CEC meeting@TMVRaghav | @journalistaswin pic.twitter.com/S3r6tzw8Ul
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "I Had A Good Personal Relationship With Indira Gandhi": Ramesh Chennithala
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "I had a good personal relationship with Indira Gandhi... I was the youngest MLA at the age of 26": Ramesh Chennithala (@chennithala), Former Home Minister of Keralam, to NDTV's @TMVRaghav pic.twitter.com/WSYiiL9a56
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "Congress Most Vibrant Political Party, Represents All Sections": Ramesh Chennithala
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "Congress is the most vibrant political party in this country, represents all sections of the society and I am adhering to my party's principles till my death": Ramesh Chennithala (@chennithala), Former Home Minister of Keralam@tmvraghav pic.twitter.com/YVrtIjeWHp
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "Pinarayi Vijayan Having Nexus With BJP": VD Satheesan
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Pinarayi Vijayan is having a nexus with the BJP: VD Satheesan (@vdsatheesan), Leader of Opposition, Keralam@tmvraghav pic.twitter.com/HOFDyGfhsS
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | VD Satheesan Speaks On Roadmap For Kerala
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Going to install storage facilities: VD Satheesan (@vdsatheesan), Leader of Opposition, Keralam, speaks to NDTV's @tmvraghav on the roadmap for Keralam pic.twitter.com/ljGOU1k7Ui
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "Congress Is Very Lucky In Kerala": VD Satheesan
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "The collective leadership is having an advantage and Congress is very lucky in Keralam as we have a galaxy of leadership": VD Satheesan (@vdsatheesan), Leader of Opposition, Kerala, to NDTV's @tmvraghav pic.twitter.com/KaKK4JJwAE
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "Responsibility Is To Bring Back UDF Into Power": VD Satheesan
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "My responsibility is to bring back the UDF into power": VD Satheesan (@vdsatheesan), Leader of Opposition, Kerala, to NDTV's @tmvraghav pic.twitter.com/4NmcpDziwp
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "Kerala Would Have Been Number One Beneficiary In The Country In GST Matter": VD Satheesan
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "Keralam would have been the number one beneficiary in the country in the GST matter": VD Satheesan (@vdsatheesan), Leader of Opposition, Kerala, to NDTV's @tmvraghav pic.twitter.com/wgGSvnsveW
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "Not Graceful Enough": Left MP Flags Congress Leadership Of INDIA Bloc
The Left is not concerned about who leads the INDIA Opposition bloc, but the Congress has not been graceful enough to accommodate its coalition partners, CPM's Rajya Sabha John Brittas said at the NDTV Keralam Powerplay today.
Brittas, who was in conversation with NDTV's Managing Editor Shiv Aroor and Editor, Politics, Vasudha Venugopal, was asked about the leadership tussle within the INDIA alliance and the many names like Trinamool Congress's Mamata Banerjee and DMK's MK Stalin doing the rounds.
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Watch: What Shashi Tharoor Said On US-Israel Attack On Iran
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Attack on Iran a violation of international law? It is wrong - Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) @shivaroor | @Vasudha156 pic.twitter.com/ZLuWucpToB
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Does BJP Have A Future In Kerala, Shashi Tharoor Decodes
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Does BJP have a future in Keralam?
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) decodes#KerelaElections @ShivAroor @Vasudha156 pic.twitter.com/5azKiT0ErI
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Watch: Shashi Tharoor On His Strategy For Upcoming Polls In Kerala
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) speaks to NDTV's @shivaroor and @Vasudha156 on his strategy for the upcoming polls in Keralam#KeralaElections #NDTV pic.twitter.com/8gdLeDuZs9
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Leader Of Opposition VD Satheesan Speaks At Conclave
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "Civil Is The Word I Would Use": Shashi Tharoor On His Relationship With PM Modi, BJP
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "Civil is the word I would use," says Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) on his relationship with PM Modi and BJP, asserts politics is about creating a better India@shivaroor | @Vasudha156 pic.twitter.com/VHPvtrImMn
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | "We Have To Be Constantly On Our Toes With US President": Shashi Tharoor
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "We have to be constantly on our toes with the President of the United States": Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) @shivaroor | @Vasudha156 pic.twitter.com/p5LIVuMVrv
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Watch: Shashi Tharoor Clarifying If There Is Infighting Within Congress
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Is there infighting within the Congress party?
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
MP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) clarifies@shivaroor | @Vasudha156 pic.twitter.com/dKQOvFMtyR
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Watch: Shashi Tharoor On Kerala Vision
"I am concerned from a global vision of Kerala being stuck between global vision of Kerala being stuck between the cultural majoritarianism of the right and the economic obsolescence of the left," Congress MP Shashi Tharoor at NDTV Power Play Keralam.
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "I am concerned from a global vision of Kerala being stuck between global vision of Kerala being stuck between the cultural majoritarianism of the right and the economic obsolescence of the left": Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) @shivaroor |… pic.twitter.com/Ohk86y2d2H
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | John Brittas On Success Of Coalition Government In Kerala
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas (@JohnBrittas) speaks to NDTV's @shivaroor and @Vasudha156 on the success of coalition government in Kerala pic.twitter.com/KePNX7irXC
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Shashi Tharoor Speaks At The Conclave
NDTV Power Play Keralam LIVE | Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas Calls Gandhi's "Guest Workers Of Politics"
While speaking with NDTV's @ShivAroor and @Vasudha156 at #NDTVPowerplayKeralam, Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas (@JohnBrittas) calls Gandhis' 'the guest workers of politics' pic.twitter.com/fwn54QpP5A
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Power Play Keralam LIVE | John Brittas On UDF In Kerala
"People do not want to go back to that era, which we call the dark tunnel, when UDF was squabbling, fighting, infighting, we don't even know who's going to lead UDF," Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas at NDTV Power Play Keralam
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "People do not want to go back to that era, which we call the dark tunnel, when UDF was squabbling, fighting, infighting, we don't even know who's going to lead UDF": Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas (@JohnBrittas) to NDTV's @shivaroor and @Vasudha156 pic.twitter.com/KEUYMd7vIX
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Power Play Keralam LIVE | Watch: John Brittas On Congress In Kerala
"The people of Kerala are watching this drama theatre of the absurd which is being played in Congress politics," Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas said at NDTV Power Play Keralam
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "The people of Kerala are watching this drama theatre of the absurd which is being played in Congress politics": Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas (@JohnBrittas) to NDTV's @shivaroor and @Vasudha156 pic.twitter.com/1fYSHcQFPV
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Power Play Keralam LIVE | John Brittas On Left Model In Kerala
At the NDTV Power Play Keralam, Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas said, "I think those people who talk about fatigue and the necessity of change have understood the importance of Left coming back to power."
#NDTVPowerplayKeralam | "I think those people who talk about fatigue and the necessity of change have understood the importance of Left coming back to power": Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas (@JohnBrittas) to NDTV's @shivaroor and @Vasudha156 pic.twitter.com/xIyJDeZblw
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas Speaks At The Conclave
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | All Eyes On Kerala's Future
NDTV decodes the issues that will shape the upcoming Keralam elections on #NDTVPowerplayKeralam @journalistaswin pic.twitter.com/DGSaLeLd3J
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE | Watch: Issues That Will Shape The Kerala Elections
NDTV decodes the issues that will shape the upcoming Keralam elections on #NDTVPowerplayKeralam
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2026
NDTV's @journalistaswin joins @ParmeshwarBawa and shares more details from ground pic.twitter.com/snoFIOMnrj
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE: Key Speakers At NDTV Powerplay Keralam
NDTV PowerPlay Keralam will host an influential lineup of leaders. The key speakers at the NDTV Powerplay Keralam include Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala; John Brittas, Rajya Sabha MP; Shashi Tharoor, Member of Lok Sabha; VD Satheesan, Leader of Opposition, Kerala; Veena George, Minister of Health, Women and Child Development; Ramesh Chennithala, Former Home Minister of Kerala, Congress; PK Kunhalikutty, National Secretary, IUML and Deputy Leader of Opposition, Kerala; Rajeev Chandrasekhar, State President, BJP; and KC Venugopal, Member of Lok Sabha.
NDTV Powerplay Keralam LIVE: NDTV Decodes The Issues That Will Shape The Election
NDTV decodes the issues that will shape the election on Powerplay Keralam.
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 11, 2026
March 12th, 9 am onwards, across the NDTV network.#PowerplayKeralam #KeralaElections #NDTV pic.twitter.com/1IarKxqZaz
