In a striking mix of personal triumph and party setback, Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan retained his stronghold in Dharmadam, winning by a margin of 19,247 votes. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) veteran secured 85,614 votes, comfortably defeating VP Abdul Rasheed of the Indian National Congress (INC), who polled 66,367 votes. Despite Vijayan’s emphatic win, the broader electoral landscape tells a different story for the Left, with the Congress-led UDF surging ahead across the state.
The Congress-led UDF in Keralam has crossed the majority mark in the 140-member Assembly, with election trends showing it comfortably ahead of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by CPI(M).
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The verdict is being seen as a decisive rejection of the LDF’s 10-year tenure, marked by visible anti-incumbency. As the scale of the UDF’s victory became clear, senior Congress leaders termed it a call to rebuild Kerala’s governance framework. Even as the final tally awaits official confirmation, trends indicate the UDF touching 102 seats, while the Left lags far behind and the BJP opens its account more assertively than before.
A closer look at the party-wise figures underlines the erosion of CPI(M)’s dominance. The Congress (INC) has emerged as the single largest party with 56 seats won and leading in 7 more, taking its tally to 63. In contrast, CPI(M) has secured 24 wins and is leading in just 2 seats, totalling 26, well below its previous strength.
Allies like the Indian Union Muslim League (22 total seats) and Kerala Congress factions have bolstered the UDF’s numbers, while smaller Left allies such as CPI (8 total) and RSP (3) failed to offset the decline. Independents have picked up 4 seats, and the BJP has won 3, contributing to a fragmented mandate that nonetheless clearly favours the opposition bloc. Overall, out of 140 seats, 123 have been declared, and 17 remain in the leading category, confirming a decisive shift in voter preference.