Kerala witnessed a major political shift on Monday as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) swept the Assembly elections, ending the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s decade-long rule and returning to power after 10 years.
The UDF won 102 seats in the 140-member House, while the CPI(M)-led LDF was reduced to 35 seats, marking one of its worst performances in recent years. The results also saw 13 ministers from the outgoing cabinet, including several senior leaders, losing their seats, though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan retained his constituency.
The Congress, which secured a 28.79% vote share, emerged as the dominant force in the new ruling coalition, with allies such as the IUML also registering strong gains. The CPI(M) recorded 21.77% vote share, reflecting a significant decline.
The outcome also marked a historic political development, as the Left is now out of power in all Indian states for the first time in decades. Senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan won comfortably, strengthening their position in post-poll leadership discussions.
In a notable development, the BJP made limited inroads in the state, winning three seats—Nemom, Kazhakoottam, and Chathannoor—with margins ranging from narrow to moderate.
Several key ministers from the LDF, including Veena George, M B Rajesh, P Rajeev, V Sivankutty and others, were defeated, along with LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan.
Reacting to the results, Congress leaders termed the verdict a rejection of “misrule and corruption,” while the CPI(M) said it would analyse the setback and make corrective changes.
The election also saw a slight drop in women representation, with 11 women elected to the 16th Kerala Assembly compared to 12 in the outgoing House.
Exit polls point to a close race but give a marginal edge to the UDF, which is aiming to return to power after nearly a decade. Axis My India forecast that the UDF would get 78-90 seats, LDF 49-62 and NDA 0-3. People's Pulse predicted that the Congress-led UDF would get 75-85 seats, the LDF 55-65 and the NDA 0-3.
Matrize forecast 60-65 seats for the LDF, 70-75 seats for the UDF and 3-5 seats for the NDA. While Peoples Insight predicted 58-68 seats for the LDF, 66-76 seats for the UDF and 10-14 seats for the NDA, Vote Vibe predicted 58-68 seats for the LDF, 70-80 seats for the UDF and zero for the NDA. Kerala Assembly has a total of 140 seats with the magic mark being 71.
The counting of votes of the Kerala assembly election, which was held on April 9, began at 8 am on Monday at the 140 counting centres in 43 locations across the state.
Reports indicate that the ballots are currently being sorted. For counting the postal ballots, there will be special counting tables for 500 votes each under the supervision of an Assistant Returning Officer (ARO).
Ahead of the commencement of counting, the strongrooms where the EVMs and voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units are stored were opened in the presence of candidates and their representatives, ECI observers and other officials. In the Kalamassery constituency, officials faced some issues in opening the strongroom.
Tight security arrangements have been made across Kerala for the counting of votes in the April 9 Assembly elections, which is being held on Monday.
As many as 32,300 police personnel, including 20 companies of Central Armed Police Forces, have been deployed for security at counting centres across the state, officials said.
Only persons carrying QR-based identity cards will be allowed entry into the counting centres.
Party supporters keep track of counting of votes at the residence of State LoP and Congress candidate from Paravur Assembly Constituency, VD Satheesan.
#WATCH | Keralam Elections 2026 | Visuals from the residence of State LoP and Congress candidate from Paravur Assembly Constituency, VD Satheesan as party supporters keep a track on the counting of votes. pic.twitter.com/l31sRGciFs
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2026
Initial trends following the commencement of counting of votes polled in the April 9 Kerala Assembly elections showed the Congress-led UDF leading in the state.
According to news reports, UDF was leading in over 60 seats, while the CPI(M)-led LDF was ahead in over 50 seats in the state.
The initial trends are based on the counting of postal ballots, which account for 1.36 per cent of the total votes polled.
Keralam Congress President Sunny Joseph expressed confidence of a decisive victory for the UDF.
The KPCC chief made the remark before the counting commenced in the state.
Joseph added that the outcome would mirror recent local body elections and reflect public sentiment against the ruling LDF.
"We are fully hopeful. We will win. This will be a repetition of the local body results. We are very confident that we will win. Number we cannot predict... Anti-people policies, Sabarimala, gold theft, all these are the key factors that are being discussed in this election by and large," he told ANI.
Former BJP state president PK Krishnadas on Monday expressed "full confidence" in the party's performance, while stating that Keralam is witnessing a "tripolar election" this time with the NDA set to emerge as a decisive force in the state's political landscape.
Early trends show UDF improving its position statewide, with NDA making inroads in select seats.
An hour into counting, UDF leads with 75 seats against LDF's 60, while NDA is ahead in 5.
Among LDF leaders, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is leading in Dharmadom, Minister M.B. Rajesh and Veena George are ahead in their respective constituencies.
Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan leads in Paravur. Jose K. Mani trails in Pala. T.I. Madhusudanan is ahead in Payyanur.
KPCC president Sunny Joseph leads in Peravur. Rajeev Chandrasekhar is ahead in Nemom.
The lead is shifting between fronts across several constituencies.
P.K. Shyamala leads in Taliparamba. Early trends favour UDF in Kottayam and Malappuram. NDA leads in Kasaragod, Palakkad, Kazhakkoottam, Manjeswaram and Nemom
"I don't want to say anything about the results. Let us wait for the election results to be fully out before I comment. However, I certainly want to take this opportunity to wish all my 'karyakartas', candidates of the NDA, the very best," Keralam BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said.
"We have worked very hard and we have put forth a message for the future of Kerala and I am very confident that whatever be the result, the politics of Kerala will change decisively and permanently after these elections," he added.
VIDEO | Kerala election result: BJP state president Rajeev Chandrashekhar (@RajeevRC_X) said,
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 4, 2026
"I don't want to say anything about the results. Let us wait for the election results to be fully out before I comment. However, I certainly want to take this opportunity to wish all… pic.twitter.com/pTimSDy4HZ
At least 12 ministers in the CPI(M)-led LDF cabinet were trailing on Monday with the counting of votes polled in the April 9 Assembly elections progressing across the state.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was also trailing in his sitting seat Dharmadam, considered his bastion and where his village Pinarayi falls.
According to various reports, ministers- Veena George, M B Rajesh, O R Kelu, R Bindhu, J Chinchurani, P Rajeev, K B Ganesh Kumar, V N Vasavan, V Sivankutty, V Abdurahiman, A K Saseendran and Roshy Augustine were trailing in their respective constituencies.
UDF face and Congress leader V D Satheesan is trailing in North Paravoor constituency, where CPI(M) candidate E T Tyson has taken an early lead, according to TV reports.
Following the initial rounds of EVM counting, Tyson was leading by over 240 votes.
However, Satheesan is expected to gain ground when votes from local bodies with a stronger Congress presence are counted.
As early trends show the Congress leading across more than 50 seats in Kerala, party leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday said that the need of the hour is a change of government, a change of policy and a "revival of Kerala".
Expressing confidence in the party, and the United Democratic Alliance (UDF) performing well in the 140-member assembly, Tharoor said, "I think right now we've got enough contenders. What matters now is that there should be a change of government, a change of policy and a revival of Kerala."
The initial two hours of counting of votes polled in the April 9 Kerala Assembly polls showed the Congress-led UDF taking a massive lead, as per news reports, indicating the front may claim power in the state.
According to news reports, the UDF was ahead in over 90 seats, while the CPI(M)-led LDF was leading in under 50 seats, and the BJP-headed NDA was leading in around 5 seats.
The Election Commission figures indicated that the Congress was ahead in 50 seats, CPI(M) in 31, IUML in 17, CPI in 13, with Kerala Congress (M) ahead in 4, and the BJP, Kerala Congress (KEC) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leading in 3 seats each.
The trends appear to support the UDF's claim that it would get a huge majority.
After the first few rounds of counting, the United Democratic Front was leading in 100 of the 140 Assembly seats, while the CPI(M)-led ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) was ahead in just in 40 constituencies.
Having had to contend with just one assembly seat from the capital district in 2021, the UDF managed to make gains in five seats out of 14, while CPM managed to take the lead in eight.
BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekharan has been the lone shining star for the saffron party as he managed to edge CPM heavyweight V Sivankutty in Nemom by 1972 votes after three rounds of counting.
As the United Democratic Front crossed the halfway mark in early counting trends in Kerala, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor welcomed the development, calling it a sign of voters seeking change after a decade.
Tharoor said the party represents a shift in political direction and stressed the need for a "new kind of politics" following what he described as 10 years of poor governance.
On the question of leadership in Keralam, Tharoor said the party would not rush into a decision. He added that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge would appoint a representative to consult newly elected MLAs, after which the party's high command would take a final call in line with its established process.
The United Democratic Front has attained a lead in 91 constituencies in Keralam, as the Election Commission of India declared trends of all 140 seats in the state. The Congress is currently leading in 58 constituencies, followed by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in 22.
The achievement led to the return of the UDF government in Keralam after 10 years, bringing an end to Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) regime, which is currently leading in 40 constituencies.
As the United Democratic Front (UDF) crossed the halfway majority mark in Keralam, senior Congress leaders including Ramesh Chennithala, KC Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor and others, arrived at the party's state office in Thiruvananthapuram.
Having had to contend with just one assembly seat from the capital district in 2021, the UDF managed to make gains in four seats out of 14, while CPM managed to take the lead in nine. BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekharan has been steadily raising his lead to 4234 votes against CPM heavyweight V Sivankutty in Nemom after six rounds of counting.
In Attingal, O S Ambika of CPM leads by 8549 votes. BJP’s P Sudheer is in the second position. V Joy of CPM leads by 1648 votes over Congress’ Varkala Kahar in Varkala after eight rounds.
In Vattiyoorkavu, CPM's V K Prasanth has reclaimed a slender lead of 34 votes against Congress' K Muraleedharan eight rounds.
BJP’s P Sreelekha is trailing in third place. This was one of the seats that the BJP had fancied to win.
The Congress in Kerala on Monday thanked the people of the state for what it termed a "thumping victory", as trends in the April 9 Assembly polls indicated a decisive edge for the UDF.
Addressing mediapersons at the party headquarters here, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said the emerging verdict was a clear rejection of the CPI(M)-led LDF government's "anti-people policies".
"The counting of votes is still progressing. The present trend indicates that the people of the state are giving the UDF a historic victory. Calling the outcome a "thumping victory", Joseph said the trend mirrored the mandate seen in the recent local body polls.
"It is a clear verdict against the LDF government's anti-people policies," he added.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala won by over 23,000 votes against his nearest rival from CPI in the Haripad Assembly seat after 15 rounds of votes polled from there were counted, as per EC figures.
The data on the Election Commission (EC) website, after all 15 rounds of EVM votes were counted, showed that Chennithala secured 68,184 votes, which was 47.08 per cent of the votes polled in the constituency.
The senior Congress leader won with a margin of 23,377 votes against his nearest rival -- CPI's T T Jismon.
Chennithala is reportedly in the fray for the post of Kerala CM.
BJP opened its account in the 2026 Kerala assembly election with BB Gopakumar winning the Chathanoor constituency in Kollam district, defeating CPI's R Rajendran by 4,002 votes.
Dedicating his win to the people, Gopakumar said, "I dedicate this victory to the people who wanted a change. As the Prime Minister said, I would be the Pradhana Sevakan — the principal servant — of the constituency."
The victory is particularly significant given Gopakumar's persistence in the face of repeated defeats. He had lost the 2016 election by 34,407 votes and the 2021 election by 17,206 votes, both times to CPI's GS Jayalal, making his win this time a remarkable turnaround.
K Karunakaran's daughter Padmaja Venugopal's hopes of winning from the Thrissur Assembly constituency were on Monday foiled for a third time, despite her family's long political history in the cultural capital of Kerala and the increase in BJP's vote share here over the years.
After 16 rounds of counting of votes polled in the April 9 Assembly elections, Venugopal got 28,662 votes and was in third position behind CPI's Alankode Leelakrishnan (33,487) and UDF's Rajan J Pallan who won with 60,290 votes, according Election Commission (EC) data.
Congress MLA Chandy Oommen on Monday retained his home turf Puthuppally by a massive margin of 52,907 votes.
He is the son of former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Chandy got 84,031 votes against CPI (M)'s K M Radhakrishnan, who ended up with 31,124 votes, according to Election Commission data.
In a major political upset, CPI(M) expelled leader P V Kunhikrishnan on Monday breached the Left fortress of Payyannur constituency and won the seat by over 7,000 votes in the 2026 Kerala Assembly election.
Contesting as a UDF-backed Independent, Kunhikrishnan defeated CPI(M) sitting MLA T I Madhusoodanan by a margin of 7,487 votes.
Kunhikrishnan was expelled from the CPI(M) earlier this year after alleging corruption by Madhusoodanan in Payyannur.
LDF leader and Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K Mani suffered defeat in the party's stronghold of Pala here in the Kerala Assembly elections on Monday.
UDF-backed Independent candidate Mani C Kappen retained the seat by defeating Mani by a margin of 2,991 votes.
Pala witnessed a triangular contest, with the BJP fielding its state vice-president Shone George.
Kappen secured 50,799 votes, while Mani polled 47,808 votes and George got 35,304 votes.
Minister for Public Works and Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas is one of the few LDF Ministers who survived the Left rout in polls by winning from the Beypore constituency.
Mr. Riyas secured 81,849 votes and won with a margin of 7,487 against UDF-backed Independent candidate P V Anvar, according to the Election Commission (EC) figures.
CPI(M) State secretary M V Govindan has said the LDF would examine the reasons behind its defeat in the Kerala Assembly elections and take corrective measures.
Mr. Govindan said “every aspect that led to the defeat would be analysed.” He thanked LDF workers and the people who voted for the front.
“The LDF will evaluate and study the defeat, after which required corrections will be made. We expect the support of the people for it,” he said.
Union Minister George Kurian on Monday finished third in Kanjirappally constituency here in the recently concluded Kerala Assembly elections.
Kurian, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Minority Affairs, was fielded by the BJP considering the sizeable Christian population in the constituency.
When votes up to the 15th of the 16 counting rounds were tallied, Kurian was in third place, trailing Congress candidate Rony K Baby by 29,585 votes.
Baby secured 56,646 votes, followed by sitting MLA N Jayaraj of Kerala Congress with 50,874 votes. Kurian received 26,984 votes, according to the Election Commission.
Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal has secured a narrow victory in the Kottarakara constituency as he faced a tough fight from former CPI(M) leader Aisha Potty, who had joined the Congress in January this year.
Mr. Balagopal, who got 63,926 votes, won with just a margin of 1,012, against Ms. Potty who had won three times consecutively from the Kottarakara constituency in the 2006, 2011 and 2016 Assembly polls as a CPI(M) candidate.
Ms. Potty, in 2016, had secured 83,443 votes and won with a margin of over 40,000 votes from the constituency.
Former Union minister V Muraleedharan won from Kazhakoottam with 51,923 votes.
Muraleedharan had faced off against CPI(M)'s Kadakampally Surendran, and the Congress had fielded advocate Sarathchandra Prasad.
The wins come despite repeated assertions by both the Congress and the CPI(M) during the campaign that the BJP would fail to open its account.
BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar joins celebrations with party workers at the party’s State headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram after winning the Nemom Assembly seat.
The BJP has won from the Nemom, Kazhakuttam and Chathannoor constituencies in the Assembly polls. BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar confirmed that the party-led NDA won from the Nemom and Chathannoor constituencies, and termed it as a reply to the Congress and CPI(M)’s assertions that it will not get even one seat.
“Today, the people of Nemom and Chathanoor have a given a clear reply to the Congress and CPI(M). There will be two MLAs from BJP-NDA,” he said.
V Muraleedharan, who contested from the Kazhakuttam Assembly seat, confirmed his win and thanked party workers and supporters for their “hard work and sacrifices”.
Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal has secured a narrow victory in the Kottarakara constituency as he faced a tough fight from former CPI(M) leader Aisha Potty, who had joined the Congress in January this year. Mr. Balagopal, who got 63,926 votes, won with just a margin of 1,012, against Ms. Potty who had won three times consecutively from the Kottarakara constituency in the 2006, 2011 and 2016 Assembly polls as a CPI(M) candidate.
Ms. Potty, in 2016, had secured 83,443 votes and won with a margin of over 40,000 votes from the constituency.
The 2026 Kerala Assembly election results have marked a significant shift in the state's political landscape, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) securing a decisive victory and crossing the majority mark of 71 seats.
The Indian National Congress emerged as the single largest party, winning with 81 seatss and leading in 16 seats, benefiting from a strong "anti-incumbency" wave.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its broader Left Democratic Front (LDF) suffered a major setback after two consecutive terms in power, winning only 31 seats and leading in another 4 seats.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is aiming to expand its footprint in a state long defined by bipolar politics by winning 3 seats.
The verdict carries significance for all three fronts, as they seek to consolidate their position in Kerala’s evolving political landscape.
Counting of votes began at 8 am across 140 constituencies in the state under tight security, following a turnout of nearly 80% among over 2.7 crore voters.
Thirteen members of the 21-member LDF Cabinet led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were defeated in the Kerala Assembly elections as the ruling front suffered a major setback across the State.
Of the 21 ministers, only the Chief Minister, K Rajan (Revenue), G R Anil (Civil Supplies), K.N. Balagopal (Finance), P Prasad (Agriculture), and Saji Cherian (Cultural Affairs) emerged victorious.
Among the key losers was Health Minister Veena George, who was contesting from Aranmula for the third time.
Pinarayi Vijayan wins Dharmadom with 85,614 votes, holding a margin of 19,247 over Congress candidate Adv. V.P Abdul Rasheed, who has gathered 66,367 votes.
Vijayan, 82, a 12th pass holder with six criminal cases on record, is contesting from his home seat as the sitting legislator.
Congress candidate Abin Varkey Kodiyattu has won the Aranmula assembly seat in Kerala, polling 70,083 votes to claim a margin of 18,985 over CPM's Veena George, who finished with 51,098 votes.
The seat was currently held by CPM's Veena George, and the result brings an end to her term as the CPM MLA.
Congress candidate Ramesh Pisharody defeated BJP’s Shobha Surendran by over 13,000 votes in the Palakkad seat.
Surendran had led over Pisharody at some points during the counting. Left-backed NMR Razak finished third.
