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With a massive lead in the assembly elections, the Congress-led UDF is gearing up to wrest power in Kerala. As counting enters its final stages, the LDF leads in just 35 seats compared to 102 for the UDF, while several rebel and dissident candidates with former CPI(M) ties have made notable gains.

For the first time in over five decades, the CPM faces the legitimate threat of losing its stronghold in the Taliparamba constituency of Kannur district. UDF-backed independent T.K. Govindan has established a lead of over 15,000 votes during the last lap of counting on Monday.

He contested against CPM’s P.K. Shyamala and BJP’s N. Haridas. By the 12th round of counting, Shyamala, who has secured 54,780 votes, reduced the margin to 10,069, but continued to trail.

Govindan had quit the party after CPI(M) fielded party state secretary M.V. Govindan’s wife from Taliparamba.

UDF-backed Independent candidate from Payyannur assembly seat- CPI(M) stronghold, V. Kunhikrishnan, also won. He was expelled from the party following martyr’s fund allegations. Kunhikrishnan won the assembly elections by a margin of over 7,000 votes. He contested against CPI(M)’s T.I. Madusoodanan.

Another notable gain was for former senior CPI(M) leader G. Sudhakaran. The two-time minister, who is contesting from the Ambalapuzha constituency, had quit the party as he was sidelined by the CPI(M) leaders. He maintained the lead during several hours of counting. During the last lap of counting, he maintained a strong lead by a margin of over 20,000 votes.

Raising slogans, beating drums, and distributing sweets, Congress party workers celebrated the landslide victory. Addressing the media, KPCC President Sunny Joseph stated that the emerging verdict was a resounding rejection of the CPI(M)-led LDF government’s “anti-people policies”.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) credited the UDF’s collective teamwork for the alliance’s resounding success. The party maintained a strong lead in 23 of the 27 seats it contested.

Voters across several constituencies expressed visible discontent with the incumbent administration, influenced by repeated opposition allegations of corruption and nepotism in governance.

The UDF appears to have benefited from a significant consolidation of minority votes across multiple regions, securing a bloc that has traditionally remained a decisive force in Kerala’s electoral politics.

The NDA has also improved its presence and vote share in the state by bagging three seats.