THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A confident Congress is moving to finalise the first list of its assembly election candidates by February 2026. The candidate announcement is expected to coincide with the conclusion of a UDF state tour led by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on February 28, according to party sources.

The tour, slated to begin from Kasaragod on February 1, is intended to gauge public opinion ahead of the preparation of UDF’s election manifesto.

“Like the Congress, other partners have also been asked to reach an early consensus on candidates in select seats so they can be presented at a rally featuring the candidates during the concluding programme in Thiruvananthapuram,” a Congress leader said.

The party’s core committee has decided to begin the process of identifying potential and probable candidates in January, following the two-day ‘Mission 2026’ meeting scheduled for January 4 and 5.

Leaders pointed out that, with ‘Mission 2026’, the Congress will formally mark the beginning of the final stage of election preparation which will continue till the election date is declared. The party will assess Congress’ chances in each constituency, with the high command having stressed winnability as the sole criterion for choosing candidates.