In a short video circulating on social media, a group of young voters are asked who they plan to vote for this time. They say they are not going to vote at all. When asked why, they shrug it off: it does not matter, nothing really changes, they say.
When elections are spoken of in large numbers, a single choice can begin to feel distant from the result.
However, Kerala’s electoral history sits slightly uncomfortably with that idea. Again and again, it has produced results where the gap between winning and losing has been so small that even the tiniest decisions have mattered.
This time too, the contest begins on a narrow edge. There is no clear line between lead and lag, no early signal strong enough to suggest where it might turn. Pre-poll surveys have clustered tightly, placing the UDF and the LDF, with neither able to open a comfortable lead. It is an election where even small shifts in turnout can change the outcome.
Senior journalist M G Radhakrishnan describes it as a close contest, but not a simple one. “The anti-incumbency that has built up over these ten years is there, but it is not strong or uniform enough to become a decisive wave. That is the speciality of this election,” he says.
That sense of balance, where nothing is breaking evenly to one way or the other, is not new to Kerala politics. The state has seen governments formed and unformed on fine margins since its earliest elections. In 1957, E M S Namboodiripad came to power with a slim legislative edge, depending on numbers that needed careful holding together.
Even a single constituency has, at times, changed outcomes. In Eravipuram in 2001, a 21-vote lead was later reduced to just five after a legal challenge — the narrowest margin recorded in the state’s assembly elections. This turned out to be one of the extreme cases with further twists.
It was A A Azeez from the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) who pulled this off. As the victory margin was a mere 21 votes, his opponent, T A Ahammed Kabeer of the Indian Union Muslim League, approached the High Court for a recount. Eventually, the margin came further down to just five votes.
Another case is from Wadakkanchery in 2016, when Anil Akkara defeated Mary Thomas by 43 votes.
“In Perinthalmanna in 2021, Najeeb Kanthapuram finished just 38 ahead of his nearest rival. An earlier example comes from Manjeswar in 2016, where P B Abdul Razak led K Surendran by just 89 votes,” Radhakrishnan adds.
It is in these narrow margins that elections in Kerala have, at times, been decided.
Radhakrishnan points out that this year carries its own set of variables that make turnout itself a key factor. The revision of electoral rolls has reduced voter numbers in some constituencies. The rising temperature, the absence of smoother travel for non-resident Keralites due to global disruptions, and the timing of holidays all add small uncertainties that matter in a close race.
“When all of this comes together, each vote carries weight. And everyone matters, that is the beauty of elections,” he smiles.
Neck and neckYear Constituency Winner Margin
2001 Eravipuram A A Azeez 5
1982 Palluruthy T P Peethambaran Master 16
1991 Kovalam A Neela Lohitha Dajan Kadar 21
2001 Sreekrishnapuram Girija Surendran 21
1991 Kayamkulam Thachadi Prabhakaran 33
2021 Perinthalmanna Najeeb Kanthapuram 38
2016 Wadakkanchery Anil Akkara 43
1987 Hosdurg N Manoharan Master 59
1996 Kunnathunad M P Varghese 60
2006 Nedumangad Mankode Radhakrishnan 85
The long and short versions
Beyond the number games that determine election results, there is another unique numerical history of polls. What if you finally win a nail-biting election, but ultimately become an MLA who was in service for mere days?
That is what happened with C Haridas. He holds the record for serving the shortest term as an MLA in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
He resigned just 10 days after assuming office in 1980. Haridas won from the Nilambur constituency but resigned to facilitate the election of Aryadan Muhammed. Haridas, who contested under the Charkha (Spinning Wheel) symbol, won by 6,423 votes.
Another interesting numerical facet is related to CH Muhammed Koya. The Muslim League leader and statesman is the shortest-serving chief minister of Kerala. He was the 10th chief minister, and served from October to December 1979 -- for 54 days. And the longest serving MLA in Kerala is Oommen Chandy, who beat fellow UDF member K M Mani. The former CM went on to represent the Puthuppally constituency continuously from 1970 until his passing in 2023, for over 51 years.
Democracy for all
Kerala’s elections have a history of electorates that are small, remote and isolated. And whatever be the obstacle, many of them never back down from exercising their franchise. In Kadamakkudy’s Murikkal Island, there is just one registered voter, K V Joseph. He has, without fail, exercised his franchise, ensuring a 100 per cent polling record until recently.
Another example is Raman Thuruth, a small, marshy island on the outskirts of Kochi. During the 2021 Assembly elections, the island had just 18 voters — one of the smallest electorates in the state. Pachakkanam is one of the most remote booths in Kerala, with around 29 registered voters. Under the Mullaperiyar ward in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, it sees officials trek 35km into the Vandiperiyar forests to reach the hamlet every election season.
Similarly, Chingampara, near the Siruvani forests bordering Tamil Nadu, has a Muduga settlement with just 53 voters, and the tribal village of Edamalakkudy in Idukki, which requires an 18-km walk to reach, is also among the remotest polling booths in the state.
More recently, for the 2026 Assembly elections, polling booths have been set up inside forest regions in Nilambur to help tribal communities, such as the Paniya and Kattunayakan groups.
Double-member constituencies
Till 1961, Kerala had a unique system where two members would be returned from a single constituency after elections — one from the general category and the other from SC/ST. In the 1957 elections, out of the 114 constituencies, 12 were double-member, which meant 126 members were elected to the Assembly (114 plus 12 others).
EMS Namboodirippad was among the dual members elected from Neeleshwaram, Kallalan (CPI) being the SC/ST counterpart. The pattern continued for the interim 1960 polls. The purpose was to ensure representation and inclusivity. This system was abolished in the 1961 delimitation, and now out of the 140 seats, 14 seats are reserved for SC and two for ST. Now Kerala is at the threshold of another revamp, with the 140 seats set to increase to 210 after the next Census and subsequent delimitation.
With inputs from Aparna Nair, Supriya & Krishna P S