Kerala Election Results 2026: UDF surges ahead in early trends, LDF trails as counting continues
Kerala Election Results 2026: Early trends show the UDF leading in 58 seats, with the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front a distant second at 22
- May 4, 2026,
- Updated May 4, 2026 9:47 AM IST
Kerala Election Results 2026: The numbers are beginning to tell their story. Counting is underway across all 140 Kerala assembly seats, and early trends are delivering a clear verdict, one that aligns with what exit polls had projected.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front is off to a commanding start. Early trends show the UDF leading in 58 seats, with the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front a distant second at 22. The BJP has emerged as a notable presence in the early count, leading in 10 seats, a figure that, if it holds, would mark a meaningful breakthrough for the party in a state where it has historically struggled.
As trends consolidated, the picture shifted slightly but the UDF's dominance held. The front was leading in 48 seats against the LDF's 13, with the BJP at 10. In the most recent update, the UDF leads in 29 seats, while the BJP and LDF are level at five each — though these are early numbers subject to significant movement.
DO CHECKOUT | Election Result 2026 LIVE Updates: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam vote counting begins
Vijayan leads, but his front is struggling
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is personally leading from Dharmadam in his Kannur bastion — the seat he won by over 50,000 votes in 2021. But the picture elsewhere in his camp is more difficult. Kerala's Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan is trailing by 1,181 votes in Ettumanoor, Kottayam — an early sign of the pressure the LDF is facing across constituencies.
ELECTIONS 2026 | WEST BENGAL RESULTS | TAMIL NADU RESULTS | KERALA RESULTS | ASSAM RESULTS | PUDUCHERRY RESULTS
Seats to watch
Several constituencies carry more weight than others today.
In Nemom, BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar is currently leading, with Congress's KS Sabarinadhan and CPI(M)'s V Sivankutty both trailing. The seat has swung before, BJP won it in 2016, Sivankutty flipped it for the LDF in 2021 — and it is once again at the centre of the three-way battle.
In Thrissur, Congress's Rajan J Pallan is leading in the constituency held by Union Minister Suresh Gopi. BJP candidate Padmaja Venugopal is trailing, with the CPI in third place.
In Ambalapuzha, Alappuzha, G Sudhakaran — who broke away from CPI(M) to contest as an Independent — is currently leading, adding another unpredictable variable to the LDF's count.
Other key seats to watch
In Dharmadam, Vijayan himself is on the ballot, seeking another term in his Kannur bastion. He won the seat in 2021 by more than 50,000 votes. The UDF has fielded VP Abdul Rasheed against him.
Nemom, in Thiruvananthapuram, is a three-cornered fight between CPI(M)'s V Sivankutty, BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and Congress candidate KS Sabarinadhan. The seat has history: it was the only constituency to elect a BJP MLA in 2016, before Sivankutty flipped it for the LDF in 2021.
In Palakkad, film personality Ramesh Pisharody contests for the UDF against BJP state general secretary Sobha Surendran and LDF-backed Independent NMR Razak — a triangular contest in a seat the UDF retained narrowly in 2021.
Aranmula pits sitting Health Minister Veena George, seeking a third term, against Youth Congress leader Abin Varkey and BJP veteran Kummanam Rajasekharan. George won with over 74,000 votes last time.
And in Peravoor, former Health Minister KK Shailaja — who won Mattannur in 2021 with a record majority of 60,963 votes — has been fielded by the LDF against three-time Congress MLA Sunny Joseph, who has held the seat since 2011.
The broader picture
Exit polls had almost unanimously projected a UDF win, with most surveys placing the Congress-led front between 72 and 90 seats. Early trends are moving in that direction, though Kerala's history of sharp swings and complex three-way arithmetic means the final count could yet deliver surprises.
For Vijayan, the prospect of a second consecutive term, unprecedented in Kerala's modern political history, is looking increasingly difficult. For the UDF's VD Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala, the early numbers suggest Kerala may be reverting to type.
Counting continues. The full picture will emerge through the day.
Kerala Election Results 2026: The numbers are beginning to tell their story. Counting is underway across all 140 Kerala assembly seats, and early trends are delivering a clear verdict, one that aligns with what exit polls had projected.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front is off to a commanding start. Early trends show the UDF leading in 58 seats, with the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front a distant second at 22. The BJP has emerged as a notable presence in the early count, leading in 10 seats, a figure that, if it holds, would mark a meaningful breakthrough for the party in a state where it has historically struggled.
As trends consolidated, the picture shifted slightly but the UDF's dominance held. The front was leading in 48 seats against the LDF's 13, with the BJP at 10. In the most recent update, the UDF leads in 29 seats, while the BJP and LDF are level at five each — though these are early numbers subject to significant movement.
DO CHECKOUT | Election Result 2026 LIVE Updates: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam vote counting begins
Vijayan leads, but his front is struggling
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is personally leading from Dharmadam in his Kannur bastion — the seat he won by over 50,000 votes in 2021. But the picture elsewhere in his camp is more difficult. Kerala's Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan is trailing by 1,181 votes in Ettumanoor, Kottayam — an early sign of the pressure the LDF is facing across constituencies.
ELECTIONS 2026 | WEST BENGAL RESULTS | TAMIL NADU RESULTS | KERALA RESULTS | ASSAM RESULTS | PUDUCHERRY RESULTS
Seats to watch
Several constituencies carry more weight than others today.
In Nemom, BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar is currently leading, with Congress's KS Sabarinadhan and CPI(M)'s V Sivankutty both trailing. The seat has swung before, BJP won it in 2016, Sivankutty flipped it for the LDF in 2021 — and it is once again at the centre of the three-way battle.
In Thrissur, Congress's Rajan J Pallan is leading in the constituency held by Union Minister Suresh Gopi. BJP candidate Padmaja Venugopal is trailing, with the CPI in third place.
In Ambalapuzha, Alappuzha, G Sudhakaran — who broke away from CPI(M) to contest as an Independent — is currently leading, adding another unpredictable variable to the LDF's count.
Other key seats to watch
In Dharmadam, Vijayan himself is on the ballot, seeking another term in his Kannur bastion. He won the seat in 2021 by more than 50,000 votes. The UDF has fielded VP Abdul Rasheed against him.
Nemom, in Thiruvananthapuram, is a three-cornered fight between CPI(M)'s V Sivankutty, BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and Congress candidate KS Sabarinadhan. The seat has history: it was the only constituency to elect a BJP MLA in 2016, before Sivankutty flipped it for the LDF in 2021.
In Palakkad, film personality Ramesh Pisharody contests for the UDF against BJP state general secretary Sobha Surendran and LDF-backed Independent NMR Razak — a triangular contest in a seat the UDF retained narrowly in 2021.
Aranmula pits sitting Health Minister Veena George, seeking a third term, against Youth Congress leader Abin Varkey and BJP veteran Kummanam Rajasekharan. George won with over 74,000 votes last time.
And in Peravoor, former Health Minister KK Shailaja — who won Mattannur in 2021 with a record majority of 60,963 votes — has been fielded by the LDF against three-time Congress MLA Sunny Joseph, who has held the seat since 2011.
The broader picture
Exit polls had almost unanimously projected a UDF win, with most surveys placing the Congress-led front between 72 and 90 seats. Early trends are moving in that direction, though Kerala's history of sharp swings and complex three-way arithmetic means the final count could yet deliver surprises.
For Vijayan, the prospect of a second consecutive term, unprecedented in Kerala's modern political history, is looking increasingly difficult. For the UDF's VD Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala, the early numbers suggest Kerala may be reverting to type.
Counting continues. The full picture will emerge through the day.