The 2026 Kerala Assembly election was set to shape up as a high-stakes contest between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by Pinarayi Vijayan and the United Democratic Front (UDF) spearheaded by V. D. Satheesan. After the LDF’s historic consecutive win in 2021, anti-incumbency, governance record, and welfare delivery will dominate the narrative. The Bharatiya Janata Party will aim to expand its footprint, though it has struggled in the state. Key issues include unemployment, inflation, infrastructure, and fiscal health. Voter sentiment, alliances, and turnout will play a decisive role.
The UDF registered a landslide victory in the state, winning 102 of the 140 seats. The ruling LDF was reduced to just 35 seats, while the BJP+ bagged three seats in the state. The state recorded an estimated overall turnout of 79.7% per cent. A total of 15,465 counting personnel were deployed for the counting, while 32,301 police personnel, including 20 companies of Central Armed Police Forces, have been deployed for security at counting centres. Each Assembly constituency will have a dedicated counting observer, mostly senior IAS officers, to supervise the process, Kelkar said.
Key constituencies such as Kannur, Kozhikode North, Ottapalam, Irinjalakuda, Kochi, Idukki and Neyyattinkara played a decisive role for the fate of the state.
Here are the trends at these seven seats:
| Constituency | Winning candidate | Party | Margin of Vote |
| Kannur | Adv. T.O. Mohanan | INC | 18551 |
| Kozhikode North | Adv. K Jayanth | INC | 1483 |
| Ottappalam | Adv. K. Premkumar | CPI-M | 26777 |
| Irinjalakuda | Adv. Thomas Unniyadan | Kerala Congress | 10212 |
| Kochi |
Mohammed Siyas |
INC | 8188 |
| Idukki |
Roy K Paulose |
INC | 23822 |
| Neyyattinkara |
N. Shakthan |
INC | 6966 |
What did the exit polls say for Kerala election?
In Kerala, Axis My India has projected 78–90 seats for the UDF, 49–62 for the LDF, and 0–3 for the NDA. People’s Pulse estimates the Congress-led UDF at 75–85 seats, the LDF at 55–65, and the NDA at 0–3. Matrize forecasts 60–65 seats for the LDF, 70–75 for the UDF, and 3–5 for the NDA. Peoples Insight predicts 58–68 seats for the LDF, 66–76 for the UDF, and 10–14 for the NDA, while Vote Vibe projects 58–68 for the LDF, 70–80 for the UDF, and none for the NDA. The Kerala Assembly has 140 seats in total, with 71 required for a majority.
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