This release provides the first comprehensive, structured dataset of candidates contesting the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly Election scheduled for April 9, 2026. This dataset is a core component of the OpenDataKerala Election Data Portal, aimed at promoting transparency and supporting informed public participation through open data. The data has been meticulously curated and verified against official gazette notifications and final nomination lists. Data Coverage This dataset includes candidate details for all 883 Contesting Candidates in 140 Assembly Constituencies in Kerala. Each entry consists of the following attributes: Field Description reference Unique official reference number assigned to the candidate (e.g., 26kla001). constituencyName Official name of the Assembly Constituency (AC). alliance Major political coalition representing the candidate, such as LDF, UDF, NDA, or others. party Specific political party representing the candidate (e.g., CPI(M), CPI, Kerala Congress (M), etc.). candidateName Candidate's name in English as per official records. malayalamName Candidate's name in Malayalam (Unicode) for localized accessibility. aparanTag Reference to a primary candidate if the current entry is a namesake/dummy candidate (aparan). candidateGender Gender identity of the candidate (male/female). candidateAge Age of the candidate as declared in the nomination affidavit. Symbol The official election symbol assigned to the candidate (e.g., "Hammer, Sickle and Star", "Two leaves", "Battery Torch"). mlaTrackLink URL to the candidate's detailed profile on the MLATrack platform, if available. Source: Data is curated from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kerala notifications and official candidate affidavits.