Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led UDF decisively defeated the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF in Kerala Assembly elections, unseating the Left front from only Indian state where it was in power.
According to results declared by the Election Commission Monday, UDF won over 90 seats in the 140-member Assembly.
The Indian Union Muslim League, the largest ally of the Congress in the state, won 20 of the 27 seats it contested and was leading in two more. Kerala Congress (Joseph) won 7 of the eight seats it fought on.
The ruling LDF won from 32 constituencies. The CPI, CPI(M)’s largest ally, could win only seven of the 25 seats it contested, and was ahead in another.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been trying to make inroads into Kerala, made a mark this election, registering three wins in Nemom, Kazhakkoottam and Chathannoor constituencies.
Monday’s result was starkly different from the 2021 polls, when the ruling LDF retained power for a second consecutive term by securing 99 seats, up from 91 it had won in 2016.
“This shows blatant discontent against the leadership. That could be the reason for this kind of result,” said K.P. Sthunath, a political analyst in Kerala.
Both the coalitions, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), ran an intense campaign in the state in the run-up to the polls. Incumbent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was leading the Left’s campaign for a third consecutive term.
The LDF focused its campaign on several welfare and infrastructure measures it rolled out over the past 10 years, including the widening of the NH-66, increasing the pension welfare amount, and the timely completion of the Wayanad rehabilitation project, pitching for continuity of the administration.
The UDF attacked the Left on corruption. In its manifesto, the Congress mostly focused on employment generation, and ‘Indira guarantees’ that included welfare measures such as increasing pension and offering free bus rides for women.
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Anti-incumbency benefit
Coming close on the heels of the alliance’s impressive performance in the 2025 local body polls, the result is a testimony to the UDF benefiting from anti-incumbency against the LDF and Vijayan.
The Congress also targeted the Left for what it termed as an understanding with the RSS for retaining power in the state.
In the 2025 local body polls, UDF won four of the six municipal corporations and secured victory in 54 of the 87 municipalities, seven of the 14 district panchayats, 79 of the 152 block panchayats, and 505 of the 941 village panchayats in the state.
The campaign and the UDF’s manifesto also focused on the migration of youngsters out of the state in search of jobs, the Sabarimala row, and issues such as the improvement of the health and education sectors. The results also underscore the continuing support of the minority Muslim and Christian communities to the UDF.
Northern districts, which have sizeable minority population, had recorded a higher turnout in the polls. These included Kozhikode, Malappuram and Kasargod.
Despite its victory, the Congress could struggle with picking its chief minister. Among key contenders are leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly V.D. Satheesan, veteran Ramesh Chennithala and AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal. In the run-up to the polls, supporters of all three camps had demanded the top post.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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