Kerala Election Results 2026: Dharmadam, Nemom, Palakkad - key battlegrounds this election
Kerala Election Results 2026: Among the seats that will be closely watched are Dharmadam, Nemom, Palakkad, Aranmula, and Peravoor
- May 3, 2026,
- Updated May 3, 2026 11:43 AM IST
Kerala Election Results 2026 | The stage is set for the counting of votes for 140 assembly seats in Kerala. All eyes are on key battlegrounds, where heavyweights are seeking another mandate.
The direct contest is between the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). The BJP-led NDA is also seeking to expand its footprint in the southern state. Among the seats that will be closely watched are Dharmadam, Nemom, Palakkad, Aranmula, and Peravoor.
Kerala: Key battlegrounds
| Key battlegrounds | Key candidates | Constituencies history |
| Dharmadam | Pinarayi Vijayan vs Abdul Rasheed | Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is seeking another term from Dharmadam in Kannur district. UDF has fielded VP Abdul Rasheed. Vijayan won the seat in the 2021 Assembly election by a margin of more than 50,000 votes against Congress pick C Raghunathan. |
| Nemom | V Sivankutty vs Rajeev Chandrasekhar vs KS Sabarinadhan | Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram is another high-profile seat, where CPI(M)'s V Sivankutty is locked in a three-cornered fight against BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Congress candidate KS Sabarinadhan. Nemom was the only seat to elect a BJP MLA in 2016. Sivankutty captured it for the CPI(M) in 2021. |
| Palakkad | Ramesh Pisharody vs Sobha Surendran vs NMR Razak | Palakkad is witnessing another triangular contest. The UDF has fielded film personality Ramesh Pisharody against BJP state general secretary Sobha Surendran and LDF-backed Independent NMR Razak. In 2021, UDF's Shafi Parambil defeated BJP's E Sreedharan by 3,859 votes to retain the seat for a third time. |
| Aranmula | Veena George vs Abin Varkey vs Kummanam Rajasekharan | Aranmula has also turned into a keenly watched three-way race. Kerala Health Minister Veena George, the sitting MLA, is seeking a third term on an LDF ticket. The UDF has fielded Youth Congress leader Abin Varkey, while the NDA has nominated BJP veteran Kummanam Rajasekharan. In 2021, George won with 74,950 votes and a 46.30 per cent vote share, ahead of Congress candidate K Sivadasan Nair. |
| Peravoor | Sunny Joseph vs KK Shailaja | In Peravoor, the fight is between UDF's Sunny Joseph and former Health Minister KK Shailaja of the CPI(M). Joseph, a three-time Congress MLA, is trying to defend the seat once again. Shailaja won the constituency in 2006 but lost to Joseph in 2011. Since then, Joseph has held the seat. Shailaja last won Mattannur in 2021 with a record majority of 60,963 votes before the LDF shifted her to Peravoor this time. |
Today's Chanakya has projected a narrow edge for the UDF in Kerala, forecasting 69 seats, with a margin of error of plus or minus nine, in the 140-member Assembly. The poll has placed the ruling LDF close behind at 64 seats, also with a margin of error of plus or minus nine, indicating a tight race that could go either way.
In vote share terms, the survey has estimated 40 per cent support for the UDF, compared with 38 per cent for the LDF. The BJP-led NDA has been projected to win seven seats, with a margin of error of plus or minus four, and secure around 20 per cent vote share.
Kerala Election Results 2026 | The stage is set for the counting of votes for 140 assembly seats in Kerala. All eyes are on key battlegrounds, where heavyweights are seeking another mandate.
The direct contest is between the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). The BJP-led NDA is also seeking to expand its footprint in the southern state. Among the seats that will be closely watched are Dharmadam, Nemom, Palakkad, Aranmula, and Peravoor.
Kerala: Key battlegrounds
| Key battlegrounds | Key candidates | Constituencies history |
| Dharmadam | Pinarayi Vijayan vs Abdul Rasheed | Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is seeking another term from Dharmadam in Kannur district. UDF has fielded VP Abdul Rasheed. Vijayan won the seat in the 2021 Assembly election by a margin of more than 50,000 votes against Congress pick C Raghunathan. |
| Nemom | V Sivankutty vs Rajeev Chandrasekhar vs KS Sabarinadhan | Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram is another high-profile seat, where CPI(M)'s V Sivankutty is locked in a three-cornered fight against BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Congress candidate KS Sabarinadhan. Nemom was the only seat to elect a BJP MLA in 2016. Sivankutty captured it for the CPI(M) in 2021. |
| Palakkad | Ramesh Pisharody vs Sobha Surendran vs NMR Razak | Palakkad is witnessing another triangular contest. The UDF has fielded film personality Ramesh Pisharody against BJP state general secretary Sobha Surendran and LDF-backed Independent NMR Razak. In 2021, UDF's Shafi Parambil defeated BJP's E Sreedharan by 3,859 votes to retain the seat for a third time. |
| Aranmula | Veena George vs Abin Varkey vs Kummanam Rajasekharan | Aranmula has also turned into a keenly watched three-way race. Kerala Health Minister Veena George, the sitting MLA, is seeking a third term on an LDF ticket. The UDF has fielded Youth Congress leader Abin Varkey, while the NDA has nominated BJP veteran Kummanam Rajasekharan. In 2021, George won with 74,950 votes and a 46.30 per cent vote share, ahead of Congress candidate K Sivadasan Nair. |
| Peravoor | Sunny Joseph vs KK Shailaja | In Peravoor, the fight is between UDF's Sunny Joseph and former Health Minister KK Shailaja of the CPI(M). Joseph, a three-time Congress MLA, is trying to defend the seat once again. Shailaja won the constituency in 2006 but lost to Joseph in 2011. Since then, Joseph has held the seat. Shailaja last won Mattannur in 2021 with a record majority of 60,963 votes before the LDF shifted her to Peravoor this time. |
Today's Chanakya has projected a narrow edge for the UDF in Kerala, forecasting 69 seats, with a margin of error of plus or minus nine, in the 140-member Assembly. The poll has placed the ruling LDF close behind at 64 seats, also with a margin of error of plus or minus nine, indicating a tight race that could go either way.
In vote share terms, the survey has estimated 40 per cent support for the UDF, compared with 38 per cent for the LDF. The BJP-led NDA has been projected to win seven seats, with a margin of error of plus or minus four, and secure around 20 per cent vote share.