Kerala Assembly Approves 40% Salary Hike for Legislators, BJP MLA Declines Increase

Thiruvananthapuram, October 29 (Daily Kiran) : The Kerala Assembly has unanimously passed a bill increasing the salaries and allowances of ministers and legislators by 40%. The decision was made on Thursday, October 29, 2026, during a session in Thiruvananthapuram. However, BJP MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar from Nemom has opted not to accept the salary increase, stating that he intends to use his entire salary and allowances for the welfare of the poor in his constituency.

Under the new provisions, the total monthly salary and allowances for legislators will rise from ₹70,000 to ₹98,000. Ministers will see their pay increase from ₹1 lakh to ₹1.33 lakh. Additionally, the minimum monthly pension for former legislators has been raised from ₹8,000 to ₹10,000.

This marks the first salary increase since 2018. The state government had previously postponed salary revisions in 2022, citing Kerala’s challenging financial situation. Nonetheless, both ruling and opposition members had called for the salary hike, leading to the bill’s passage without any dissent.

Assembly Speaker Tiruvencher Radhakrishnan acknowledged that many legislators had reported difficulties due to rising expenses. He congratulated the members on the unanimous passage of the bill and also proposed that each legislator be provided with an additional personal assistant. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan assured that he would consider this proposal sympathetically.

Following the bill’s approval, Rajeev Chandrasekhar addressed the press, reiterating his decision to decline the increased salary and allowances due to the state’s economic conditions. He questioned how the government could justify raising salaries for ministers and legislators while ASHA workers and job applicants with the Public Service Commission are still awaiting their demands to be met.

BJP state president Chandrasekhar criticized both the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government and the current V.D. Satheesan administration for adopting policies against the public’s interest.

According to the revised provisions, the constituency allowance will increase from ₹25,000 to ₹35,000, the travel allowance from ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 per month, and the annual air travel allowance from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000. Additionally, former legislators will receive extra monthly pension benefits upon reaching the ages of 70 and 80.

Immediately after the bill was passed, the assembly proceedings were adjourned indefinitely.