The Congress-led United Democratic Front swept the Kerala Assembly elections, winning 102 of the 140 seats in what was the second-largest victory for the alliance in the state’s history – surpassed only by its 111-seat win in 1977 after the Emergency. The result reduced the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front, which won 99 seats in 2021, to 35 seats, with 13 ministers losing their constituencies.
The win was comprehensive across Kerala. The UDF won 40 of the 48 seats in the five Malabar districts, 37 of the 53 seats in the five central Kerala districts, and 25 of the 39 seats in the four Travancore districts – edging out the UDF in 11 of the state’s 14 districts. The UDF held its own only in Thrissur, Kannur and Palakkad.
Within the coalition, the Congress won 63 of the 92 seats it contested – its highest ever number in Kerala. The Indian Muslim League won 22 of the 27 seats, and the Kerala Congress faction led by BJ Joseph won seven of the eight seats. The BJP-led NDA, which had no representation in the last Assembly, won three seats in its best-ever performance in the state.
“The result today is a declaration by the people of the state that Kerala remains truly secular,” Opposition leader V D Sathisan said at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, adding that the UDF had received support “even from those who stand outside the UDF family.”
Three of those non-family victories came from former CPI(M) leaders – G Sudhakaran, V Konnikrishnan and T K Govindan – who quit the party over misappropriation of funds, nepotism and internal corruption, and contested as independents backed by the United Democratic Front.
The result was predicted in December, when the UDF won the local body polls with 38.81% of votes against the UDF’s 33.45%, securing a majority of grama panchayats, panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations. The association’s campaign built on this momentum, attacking the Pinarayi Vijayan government over rising prices, unemployment, public debt, and allegations that CPI leaders and Devaswom officials were involved in the theft of gold assets from the Sabarimala temple – a case being investigated by a special investigation team of the Kerala Police.
Two shifts at the community level proved crucial. In northern Kerala, where Muslims are more concentrated, the UDF benefited from an incident involving Velappally Natesan, an influential leader of the Ezhava community, who openly supported Vijayan and the UDF but alleged that Ezhavas were being discriminated against in Muslim-majority areas such as Malappuram. The failure of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) to refute these statements is seen as having strengthened the Muslim vote against the LDF in the region.
In central Kerala, where the Christian community determines electoral outcomes, the United Democratic Front won all 28 seats in Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki – doubling its 2021 tally of 14 seats. This shift is partly due to the Union government’s bill amending the law regulating foreign contributions, which has raised concerns among Christians, and to the NDA fielding candidates from the G20 party in seats where the organization is considered weak.
