Kerala election result highlights: Cong-led UDF wins in Kerala after a decade; Pinarayi Vijayan resigns as CM

• The Congress-led UDF alliance has won or is leading on 100 seats in Kerala, of which Congress has 63. Meanwhile, the LDF is ahead or has won in 35 seats.

• Pinarayi Vijayan has emerged winner from Dharmadam constituency securing 85,614 votes, beating Congress leader V P Abdul Rasheed by 19,247 votes. Vijayan resigned as CM earlier today as the mandate became clear.

• Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday termed the Kerala Assembly Election 2026 verdict a "historic" and "tremendous" mandate for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), as trends indicated a sweeping victory and a return to power after a decade.

• “The most important story that will come out of this from tomorrow is that it will be the first time that the LDF is not in power anywhere in the country. this time they will not be in power anywhere in India, and that will be a major development in our country,” Congress leader told ANI.

Kerala election result LIVE: Incumbent chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday won the Dharmadham constituency by a margin of 19247 votes.

Vijayan defeated Congress candidate VP Abdul Rasheed, who had polled 66,367 votes.

Kerala election result LIVE: The Left Democratic Front in Kerala has leads in or has won 42 seats till now, according to Election Commission.

Of these, CPI(M) has won 25 seats and is leading in one, CPI has won 8 seats, RJD has won one seat and Kerala Congress has secured seven seats.

Kerala election result LIVE: Congress has won 62 seats in Kerala as of 6.30 pm, and is leading in one. Meanwhile, among the alliance constituents, IUML as 22 seats, Revolutionary Socialist Party has three, Revolutionary Marxist Party of India has one, Kerala Congress (Jacob) has one and Communist Marxist Party Kerala State Committee has one.

Kerala election result LIVE: The BJP opened its account in Kerala and won three seats in the assembly elections:

Chathannoor - BB Gopakumar

Kazhakootam - V Muraleedharan

Nemom - Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Kerala election result LIVE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday expressed his joy on winning the state assemly elections and congratulated UDF leaders and party workers for a “well-run” campaign.

“Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate. Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign. As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential and now Keralam has a UDF government with a vision to harness both. I look forward to seeing my Keralam family soon,” he wrote in a post on X.

Kerala election result LIVE: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday highlighted the need to bring back the investment in Kerala to ensure that the youth stay and contribute to the development of the State, rather than migrating to other States for opportunities.

"There are many factors, and the anti-incumbency against the 10-year tenure of the LDF. What is happening in Keralam is that youth from the state are migrating to other states and abroad because there are no employment opportunities. It will be good if we can bring investment back into the state. The people were clear in their minds that they wanted change."

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor emphasised that the people wanted change in Keralam after suffering from a decade-long rule of the Left Democratic Front (LDF).

-ANI

Congress-led UDF has crossed the majority mark, securing 73 seats and beating LDF's decade-long dominance.

Kerala election result LIVE: With the Congress-led UDF bagging a major win in the Kerala polls, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday thanked the people of the state for their overwhelming support and vowed to work diligently towards building a better future for them.

In a post on X, Gandhi said, "To all my brothers and sisters in Keralam, thank you for your faith and for your overwhelming support. The trust you have placed in us will be the UDF's guiding force as we work hard towards building a better future for each one of you."

"I sincerely hope that our gratitude to you will be evident each day of the next five years as we strive to fulfil our commitments to you with honesty and humility," she added.

"To my family in Wayanad, you have renewed your belief in the UDF with a resounding mandate - 7 out of 7 seats!! You now have 8 representatives working together towards the development of Wayanad! We will do all we can to live up to your expectations," the MP from Wayanad said. (PTI)

Kerala election result LIVE: AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Monday said the Congress-led UDF's sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly polls was a clear verdict against the "arrogance", corruption, and nepotism of the CPI(M)-led LDF government headed by CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

Addressing a press conference as counting of votes for all 140 Assembly constituencies neared completion, Venugopal said the outcome reflected public anger against what he termed "10 years of misrule" by the Left government.

He claimed that Vijayan's victory in his home constituency, Dharmadam, was "only technical", alleging that the CM trailed the UDF candidate in the initial rounds of counting and failed to secure a majority in his own village.

"He just escaped. He suffered a setback even in his home turf. He was the only person who did not realise the people's mood in this election," Venugopal said.

Alleging that the CPI(M) and the LDF had resorted to "communal and opportunistic politics", he further claimed that the ruling front had entered into a "secret understanding" with the BJP in a bid to retain power for a third consecutive term. (PTI)

Kerala election result LIVE: On Kerala Assembly Election Results, Congress MP K Suresh says, "... This is a grand victory, a victory for the people of Kerala. Our appeal to the youth and common people was accepted. The people had high expectations of the UDF. After ten years of corruption and arrogance under the LDF, they wanted change. The message is clear, Pinarayi Vijayan government must go, and a new UDF government should come..."

Kerala election result LIVE: "It is a victory against the anti-people rule of the Pinarayi government," says Congress’ Kodungallur candidate OJ Janeesh after his win.

Janeesh won against CPI's V R Sunil Kumar by 8308 votes and securing 65162 votes.

Kerala election result LIVE: In Kerala assembly polls, Congress as of 3:30 pm has won 22 seats.

I C Balakrishnan from Sulthanbathery won against CPI(M)'s M S Viswanathan by 16,597 votes.

V T Sooraj emerged victorious from Balusseri by 16,980 votes defeating CPI(M)'s K M Sachindev.

Aryadan Shoukath won from Nilambur by 54,851 votes defeating Independent candidate U Sharafali.

Ramesh Chennithala won from Haripad by 23,377 votes against CPI's T T Jismon.

Kerala election result LIVE: Second win for BJP in Kerala as state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar wins from Nemom.

Kerala election result LIVE: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday termed the Kerala Assembly Election 2026 verdict a "historic" and "tremendous" mandate for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), as trends indicated a sweeping victory and a return to power after a decade.

Speaking to reporters here, Tharoor said the scale of the win had exceeded expectations and reflected a strong desire for political change among voters.

"It's a historic day for us. It's a tremendous victory... even greater than we had expected. We are looking at an amazing result in Kerala, conceivably over 100 seats," Tharoor said. He noted that the outcome could mark a significant shift in India's political landscape, adding that the Left's decline in Kerala would signal the end of its last major stronghold. "In some ways, it is a closing of a big chapter in India's democratic political history," he remarked.

-ANI

Kerala election result LIVE: Congress leader Rajan J Pallan has emerged victorious from Thrissur constituency, beating CPI's Alankode Leelakrishnan and BJP's Padmaja Venugopal by securing 60290 votes.

This is the third time Venugopal's efforts at winning have foiled in the state despite her family's long political history in the cultural capital of Kerala and the increase in BJP's vote share here over the years.

In 2021, contesting from a Congress seat, she lost by 900 votes. In 2016, she lost by around 7,000 votes. Both times, it was the CPI which had won.

(With PTI inputs)

Kerala election result LIVE: BJP opens account in Kerala, it's candidate BB Gopakumar wins Left citadel of Chathannoor by 4002 votes.

Kerala election result LIVE: After leading the tally in trends, Congress-led UDF is now ranking high on winning seats. Congress has won 8 seats as of 2:23 pm, Indian Union Muslim League has won one seat. Meanwhile, LDF has won 5 seats till now, with CPI(M) winning 4 seats, CPI one seat.

Kerala election result LIVE: The Congress in Kerala on Monday thanked the people of the state for what it termed a "thumping victory", as trends in the April 9 Assembly polls indicated a decisive edge for the UDF.

Addressing mediapersons at the party headquarters here, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said the emerging verdict was a clear rejection of the CPI(M)-led LDF government's "anti-people policies".

"The counting of votes is still progressing. The present trend indicates that the people of the state are giving the UDF a historic victory," he said.

-PTI

Kerala election result LIVE: In Kerala, Congress-led UDF is leading by a huge margin in EC trends.

UDF-backed Independent candidates are leading by sizeable margins in both Payyannur and Taliparambu -- two seats in Kannur district that CPI(M) has never lost since 1977.

Kerala election result LIVE: Several rebel and dissident candidates with past links to the CPI(M) and who aligned with the Congress-led UDF just ahead of the April 9 state polls, were making notable gains in early counting trends across Kerala on Monday.

Former senior CPI(M) leader G Sudhakaran, who did not renew his party membership alleging that he had been sidelined by the district leadership, was leading in Ambalapuzha after contesting against sitting MLA H Salam, Election Commission data showed.

According to initial counting trends, Sudhakaran was ahead by over 6,000 votes.

T K Govindan, who exited the party after CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan's wife P K Shyamala was fielded from Thaliparamba, was leading by over 7,000 votes in the Left stronghold.

Similarly, Kunhikrishnan, who was expelled from the party after raising allegations of corruption within the CPI(M), was leading against sitting MLA T I Madhusoodanan, who had won the seat in 2021 by nearly 50,000 votes.

P K Sasi, who had alleged that he was sidelined by the CPI(M), contested as an Independent from Ottapalam.

However, CPI(M) candidate K Premkumar is leading by over 5,000 votes as of 11.30 am.

Former CPI(M) MLA Aisha Potty, who joined the Congress and is contesting against Finance Minister K N Balagopal at Kottarakara in Kollam district, is giving him a tough fight from the initial stages of counting and has taken a lead.

A Suresh, a former personal staff member of ex-Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, is contesting as the Congress candidate from Malampuzha, where CPI(M) nominee A Prabhakaran is currently leading.

-PTI

Kerala election result LIVE: As the United Democratic Front crossed the halfway mark in early counting trends in Kerala, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor welcomed the development, calling it a sign of voters seeking change after a decade.

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said the party represents a shift in political direction and stressed the need for a "new kind of politics" following what he described as 10 years of poor governance.

On the question of leadership in Keralam, Tharoor said the party would not rush into a decision. He added that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge would appoint a representative to consult newly elected MLAs, after which the party's high command would take a final call in line with its established process.

"Look, we are a party of change. We want that after 10 years of such bad politics, it is very important to bring change and, in my view, to bring in a new kind of politics. We do not want to talk about this issue right now. Kharge ji, who is the Congress president, will send someone to speak with the winning MLAs. After that, they will take their opinion, and then the high command will decide. This is our Congress policy," Tharoor said.

He noted that early trends appeared favourable for the UDF, with even some prominent leaders from the Left Democratic Front trailing. However, he cautioned that the situation was still evolving, as only a few rounds of counting had been completed. (ANI)

Kerala election result LIVE: The United Democratic Front has attained a lead in 91 constituencies in Keralam, as the Election Commission of India declared trends of all 140 seats in the state. The Congress is currently leading in 58 constituencies, followed by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in 22.

The achievement led to the return of the UDF government in Keralam after 10 years, bringing an end to Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) regime, which is currently leading in 40 constituencies.

As the United Democratic Front (UDF) crossed the halfway majority mark in Keralam, senior Congress leaders including Ramesh Chennithala, KC Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor and others, arrived at the party's state office in Thiruvananthapuram. (ANI)