UDF sweeps to power in Kerala, LDF's decade-long rule uprooted in Assembly elections 2026

Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 4 : The United Democratic Front (UDF) on Monday emerged victorious in Kerala Assembly elections after comfortably crossing the majority mark of 71 seats in the 140-member House, a verdict widely seen as a decisive rejection of the decade-long rule of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and signals a major comeback for the Congress-led coalition.

As per the latest trends, the Indian National Congress (INC) alone won 63 out of the total 140 Assembly seats, accounting for a major portion of the UDF's victory.

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 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.

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