Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 4 : Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president PK Krishnadas on Monday expressed "full confidence" in the party's performance, while stating that Keralam is witnessing a "tripolar election" this time with the NDA set to emerge as a decisive force in the state's political landscape.
Talking to ANI, Krishnadas said, "We have good expectations. In this election, we will win many of the seats out of 140. We have full confidence in this election. After this election, NDA will become the deciding factor in Kerala politics."
He further said that the state, which has historically witnessed bipolar politics between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF), is now witnessing a transition.
He added, "At present, Kerala has bipolar politics, with LDF on one side and UDF on the other. But in this election, you can see a tripolar election in Kerala..."
Counting is underway for all 140 Assembly seats, starting with postal ballots, followed by EVM counting from 8:30 am. Authorities confirmed that round-wise updates will be available in real time on the ECINET platform and the Election Commission portal.
Notably, the state recorded a voter turnout of 78.27 per cent in the single-phase polling held on April 9.
According to official data, postal votes polled across the Thiruvananthapuram district include Varkala (2,884), Attingal (3,977), Chirayinkeezhu (2,976), Nedumangad (3,926), Vamanapuram (3,807), Kazhakkoottam (2,437), Vattiyoorkavu (2,734), Thiruvananthapuram (1,916), Nemom (2,511), Aruvikkara (3,676), Parassala (3,448), Kattakkada (3,531), Kovalam (3,065), and Neyyattinkara (3,998), indicating strong participation in early voting.
Ahead of counting, BJP candidate from Kazhakootam, V Muraleedharan, expressed confidence in a positive mandate. He said the party highlighted the "politics of performance" under Narendra Modi and pitched for a development-oriented Kerala. "I am hopeful that there will be a verdict in favour of the NDA-BJP," he told ANI.
On the other hand, Congress MP Jebi Mather exuded confidence in a decisive win for the United Democratic Front (UDF). She asserted that the people of Kerala have chosen change and said the Chief Minister would be from the Congress, to be decided by party leadership and MLAs.
Exit polls largely favour the Congress-led UDF, with projections ranging between 72 and 90 seats, while the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 49 to 62 seats. The BJP-led NDA is projected to win a marginal share. The LDF had scripted history in 2021 by winning consecutive terms, breaking Keralam's trend of alternating governments.
The counting in Keralam is part of a larger electoral exercise across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry. As results unfold, all eyes remain on whether Keralam will witness another shift in its political cycle in favour of UDF or will LDF create history once again by winning a third consecutive term.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor