THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major morale booster for the Congress, a survey conducted by its poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu has projected that the UDF could win around 90 seats in the 2026 assembly elections. Presenting the findings before the political affairs committee members on Sunday night, he stressed the need to make the Sabarimala gold theft case a central plank of the Congress campaign in the run up to the polls. The survey report was presented at the two-day leadership meeting, ‘Lakshya- 2026’ held in Wayanad.
The report urged the party leadership to build a strong narrative that the Congress-led UDF is no longer merely an opposition, but it is poised to return to power within the next three months. Kanugolu reportedly said that projecting confidence about forming the next government could influence sections of voters and communities that did not support the party in the local body elections.
According to the survey, minorities in central Kerala and Malabar, a section which voted for the LDF in the previous assembly election, have returned to the UDF-fold in the local body elections. The report pointed to a consolidation of Muslim votes in favour of the UDF in Malabar. In districts such as Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki Christian voters were found to have preferred the UDF over the BJP.
The survey noted that a large section of Nair votes had moved to BJP in the last Lok Sabha election. A portion of that vote bank had returned to the Congress-led front in the local body elections. Kanugolu emphasised the need for structured outreach programmes to engage Hindu communities, particularly the Nair community. He suggested that this could be achieved by deploying party leaders from within the community who are active at the grassroots level.
He reportedly told the leadership that the Sabarimala gold theft issue had a significant impact on Hindu voters in southern districts such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha. The survey noted that the distance between the party and the Ezhava community continues and there is little likelihood of SNDP Yogam altering its stance towards the Congress. However, it pointed out that the growing anti-incumbency sentiment against the LDF government has created a favourable political situation for the UDF ahead of the election.