Shashi Tharoor Urges Investment in Kerala as Congress-Led UDF Wins Big

"There are many factors, and the anti-incumbency against the 10-year tenure of the LDF. What is happening in Keralam is that youth from the state are migrating to other states and abroad because there are no employment opportunities. It will be good if we can bring investment back into the state. The people were clear in their minds that they wanted change."

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor emphasised that the people wanted change in Keralam after suffering from a decade-long rule of the Left Democratic Front (LDF).

"People wanted change. After 10 years of LDF's bad governance, people decided to bring a change. Congress's and UDF's strong message advocating the growth of the State was well received."

Earlier today, Tharoor termed the Keralam Assembly Election 2026 verdict a "historic" and "tremendous."

"It's a historic day for us. It's a tremendous victory... even greater than we had expected. We are looking at an amazing result in Kerala, conceivably over 100 seats," Tharoor said. He noted that the outcome could mark a significant shift in India's political landscape, adding that the Left's decline in Kerala would signal the end of its last major stronghold. "In some ways, it is a closing of a big chapter in India's democratic political history," he remarked.

The Congress-led UDF crossed the majority mark in the 140-member Assembly, with trends showing it comfortably ahead of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The verdict is being seen as a decisive rejection of the LDF's 10-year tenure, marked by anti-incumbency sentiment and governance concerns.

Keralam went to the polls in a single phase on April 9, with a strong voter turnout of 78.27 per cent.

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 the 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