UDF ends decade-long break in Kerala, comes back with stupendous win

Giant billboards across the state displayed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's smiling visage. “Who else but the LDF?” read the caption. The Left Democratic Front's progress card claimed 97% delivery. A 'Third coming' was certain, said their leaders. The front ran on the audacity of defying incumbency – it was non-existent, they said – and lost. 

On May 4, the United Democratic Front hadn't merely edged past the Left. It surged well beyond what exit polls, which had predicted a tight contest, had dared to project. As the final numbers came in, UDF managed to win 102 of the 140 seats, while LDF was relegated to just 35 seats. CPI(M), which won 62 seats in 2021, managed to win just 26. The Congress alone won 63 seats.

It took seven rounds for Pinarayi Vijayan to establish a lead over his Congress rival VP Abdul Rasheed in the Left citadel of Dharmadam. Though Pinarayi won from Dharmadam, 13 ministers from his cabinet suffered losses, including ministers holding key portfolios.

Pinarayi's progress card, it turns out, was not signed by the electorate. 

And for the first time in fifty years, no state in India will have a Left government. The party that once held West Bengal for three unbroken decades and clung to Kerala as its last fortress for two consecutive terms has no fallback position.

The BJP, as ever in Kerala, remains on the margins. But the party has improved its tally, winning three seats. 

The verdict marks a decisive turnaround from the 2021 election, when the LDF scripted history by retaining power with 99 seats, breaking the state’s long-standing pattern of alternating governments.  

At the party level, the Indian National Congress, the backbone of the UDF, won 63 seats. The Congress had secured 22 seats in 2016 and 21 in 2021 despite maintaining a vote share above 23–25%, indicating that its 2026 performance reflects an improved strike rate and vote share.

The Indian Union Muslim League, which had delivered a strong showing with 15 seats in 2021, added 22 seats to the UDF tally, continuing its role as a key pillar of the alliance.

On the other side, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which had led the LDF’s dominance with 62 seats in 2021 (up from 58 in 2016), saw its tally drop to 26 seats. Its ally, the Communist Party of India, which had won 17 seats in 2021 compared to 19 in 2016, secured eight seats this time.

The LDF’s defeat came after it had overturned Kerala’s entrenched anti-incumbency trend in 2021 by winning a second consecutive term. Its failure to secure a third term now points to high anti-incumbency and a shift in voter sentiment.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which had opened its account in 2016 with one seat but drew a blank in 2021 despite a vote share of 11.3%, won three seats this time. However, the party’s vote share saw only a negligible increase at 11.42%.  

In a statement, the CPI(M) thanked its cadres and the people who supported the party and its allies. "The CPI(M) respects the people's verdict and will introspect on the reasons that led to the defeat of the LDF in Keralam." 

The Kerala Congress wasted no time in saying how comprehensive their win was. “13 ministers of the outgoing cabinet have fallen, proving that the people have rejected arrogance, corruption, nepotism and incompetence. This is a victory for UDF unity and the guarantees we promised to the people,” the party said while thanking the voters for the massive win.

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