UDF Ends LDF's Decade-Long Rule in Kerala with Decisive Win

Counting trends showed the UDF comfortably crossing the majority mark 71 seats in the 140-member House, a verdict widely seen as a decisive rejection of the decade-long rule of the LDF and signals a major comeback for the Congress-led coalition.

As per the trends, the Indian National Congress (INC) has won 41 Assembly seats in Kerala while leading in 22 seats, channelling 63 Assembly seats to their account as of 4:21 pm.

Notably, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for the first time in the history of Kerlam politics will now have three MLAs representing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Keralam Assembly, with State BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar leading the Nemom Assembly seat, V Muraleedharan defeating V Sivankutty with a narrow lead in Kazhakootam Assembly seat and B B Gopakumar winning the Chathannoor seat.

Chandrasekhar said that this election witnessed a very strong anti-incumbency against the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

"It is for the first time that we are seeing that the party is being supported by the people across the board. We saw that in the local body elections, when the people of Thiruvananthapuram gave NDA the mandate to govern the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, and it follows from that that in these Assembly elections, there was a very strong anti-incumbency against the CPI (M). These elections were more about throwing out the CPI (M).

"We have put forth a very comprehensive vision for PM for development and opportunities for all Malayalis. We are very happy that there are two MLAs in the Keralam Assembly to represent the NDA and the people of Keralam for the first time in the history of the State. This will be the start of a new beginning for Keralam's development," Chandrasekhar said.

Although anti-incumbency against the 10-year-old LDF government was widely expected, the scale of the UDF's lead has still drawn attention.

In the 2016 Keralam Assembly elections, the Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by Pinarayi Vijayan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), secured a clear victory with 91 seats, including 58 won by the CPI(M) and 19 by the Communist Party of India. The United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Indian National Congress, managed 47 seats, with Congress winning 22 and the Indian Union Muslim League taking 18. The Bharatiya Janata Party opened its account in the state with one seat.

In 2021, the LDF expanded its dominance, winning 99 seats, marking a historic consecutive re-election for Pinarayi Vijayan. The CPI(M) increased its tally to 62 seats, while the CPI secured 17. The UDF's performance declined further, dropping to 41 seats, with the Congress winning 21 and the IUML 15. The BJP, despite contesting widely, failed to win any seats in that election.

A UDF victory this time would also signal a generational shift in Keralam politics, as the party moves forward without stalwarts like K Karunakaran and Oommen Chandy. Leadership within the alliance is now centred around figures such as V D Satheesan, who has been a prominent voice against the LDF government.

Counting began at 8 am today across 823 constituencies in key regions including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Keralam, Assam, and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The process began with postal ballots, followed by counting of Electronic Voting Machines from 8:30 am, with round-wise results being updated in real time on the ECINET platform and the Election Commission's official portal.

- ANI