Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], March 25 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday expressed confidence ahead of the Kerala elections, stating that the contest in the state remains primarily between the UDF and the LDF.
"I am very optimistic. Don't forget that the BJP is a zero-seat party in Kerala. The real contest is between UDF and LDF. We have good and experienced candidates, as well as some fresh faces. Together, we are going to bring about change. People are tired of 10 years of misgovernance by the LDF, and the BJP is not the answer because they don't have the capacity. The answer lies in overthrowing the LDF," Tharoor said.
On the issue of women's representation in politics, Tharoor reiterated his support for the women's reservation bill, highlighting the challenges women face in securing adequate political representation.
"I have been a strong supporter of the women's reservation bill because in politics it has been difficult for women to get the kind of breakthrough they deserve. Even in this election, no party has given women a significant percentage of the seats. We have only 10 per cent, and the BJP has only 11-12 per cent. We need to have a reservation to give guaranteed representation," he added.
The 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, the Election Commission of India announced on March 15, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4.
The tenure of the current assembly is scheduled to end on May 23.
Both the BJP-led NDA and Congress-led UDF seek to unseat the incumbent Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF and gain control of the 140-member assembly. The LDF-led government has governed the state for around a decade.
In the Kerala Legislative Assembly election, held in a single phase on April 6, 2021, with results being declared on May 2, 2021. The incumbent LDF retained power with 99 seats, marking the first time since 1977 that a ruling alliance secured consecutive terms in the state. The UDF won 41 seats, while the NDA saw a decline in vote share and lost its only seat in the Assembly. Following the victory, Pinarayi Vijayan became the first Chief Minister of Kerala to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term in office.
In terms of vote share, the LDF received 41.5 per cent of the total votes, significantly ahead of the UDF, which secured 38.4 per cent. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), secured 11.4 per cent of the votes but failed to win a single seat in the election.
Among individual parties in 2021, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) emerged as the single largest party with 62 seats and a vote share of 25.5 per cent. The Indian National Congress (INC) won 21 seats with a comparable vote share of 25.2 per cent, while the Communist Party of India (CPI) secured 17 seats. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key UDF ally, won 15 seats.
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