Left without power nationwide for the first time since 1977

THe Congress-led United popular look (UDF) swept Kerala’s gathering election, winning 102 of 140 seats in what is the confederation’s second-largest triumph in the state’s history — surpassed only by its 111-seat haul in 1977 following the Emergency. The result reduces the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front, which had won 99 seats in 2021, to 35, with 13 sitting ministers losing their constituencies.The win was comprehensive across Kerala. The UDF won 40 of 48 seats in the five Malabar districts, 37 of 53 seats in central Kerala’s five districts, and 25 of 39 seats in the four Travancore districts — outperforming the LDF in 11 of the state’s 14 districts. The LDF held its own only in Thrissur, Kannur and Palakkad.Within the coalition, the Congress won 63 of 92 seats it contested — its highest tally ever in Kerala. The Indian Union Muslim League won 22 of 27 seats and the Kerala Congress faction led by PJ Joseph won seven of eight. The BJP-led NDA, which had no representation in the last Assembly, won three seats in what is its best-ever showing in the state.“The result today is a declaration by the people of the state that Kerala remains truly secular,” said leader of opposition VD Satheesan 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 outside-family wins came from former CPI(M) leaders — G Sudhakaran, V Kunhikrishnan and TK Govindan — who had walked out of the party citing misappropriation of funds, nepotism and internal corruption, and contested as UDF-backed independents.The result was foreshadowed in December, when the UDF won the local body polls with 38.81% of votes against the LDF’s 33.45%, taking a majority of grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations. The Assembly campaign built on that momentum, attacking the Pinarayi Vijayan government on price rise, unemployment, public debt, and allegations that CPI(M) 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 community-level shifts proved decisive. In north Kerala, where Muslims are more concentrated, the UDF benefited from an episode involving Vellappally Natesan, the influential chief of the Ezhava community, who had publicly backed Vijayan and the LDF but alleged that Ezhavas were being discriminated against in Muslim-majority districts such as Malappuram. The CPI(M)’s perceived failure to rebut those remarks is seen as having consolidated Muslim votes against the LDF in the region.In central Kerala, where the Christian community shapes electoral outcomes, the UDF won all 28 seats across Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki — doubling its 2021 tally of 14. The shift is attributed in part to the Union government’s bill amending the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act, which triggered concerns among Christians, and to the NDA fielding candidates from the Twenty-20 party in seats where the organisation is considered weak.