In the 2026 Kerala assembly elections, the Congress strengthened its dominant hold on seats, sweeping away the ruling party with a huge margin and changing the political atmosphere in the state. It brings to an end the intense and high-stakes contest among the ruling LDF, the opposition UDF and the BJP-led NDA.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has won the 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, defeating the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The LDF ruled for 10 years (two consecutive terms: 2016-2021 and 2021-2026). The Congress-led UDF has secured a landslide victory, winning 100 seats in the 140-member assembly. Final results show the Indian National Congress leading the tally with 63 seats. And the Indian Union Muslim League secured a record 22 seats.
It is followed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) at 26 and the Communist Party of India (CPI) with 8, rounding its total to LDF 35 seats. The Kerala Congress won 7, Independent candidates won 4, the Bharatiya Janata Party won 3, and one seat each for the Communist Marxist Party Kerala State Committee and Kerala Congress (Jacob).
2021 vs 2026
The 2026 Kerala Assembly election results showed a major political shift. The UDF won 100 seats, a sharp rise from 2021, when it had 41 seats, and also improved from 47 seats in 2016.
The LDF dropped heavily to 35 seats, compared to 99 seats in 2021 and 91 seats in 2016, ending its decade-long rule. The NDA won 3 seats in 2026, after getting 0 seats in both 2021 and 2016, marking its first breakthrough in the state.
Candidates who won and lost their constituencies
The 2026 Kerala Assembly election results show a major political shift in the state. The Congress-led UDF won key seats. V.D. Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala secured strong wins, and Chandy Oommen retained Puthuppally with a large margin.
However, in contrast, the LDF faced a series of heavy defeats as key cabinet members lost their seats to an anti-incumbency wave, like K.K. Shailaja, M.B. Rajesh, V. Sivankutty, and Veena George lost their seats in a strong anti-incumbency wave.
What are the new trends in the 2026 Election Result?
For the first time in history, the BJP won 3 seats in the Kerala state assembly election, Nemom, Kazhakoottam, and Chathannoor, tripling its previous best performance. While Vijayan managed to win his seat in Dharmadom, his bid for a historic third consecutive term was blocked by a massive anti-incumbency wave.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.