Kamal Ghorui
Congress overcomes weak organisation with united frontThe Congress-led UDF swept back into govt in Kerala on Monday after a 10-year hiatus, riding a largerthan-expected anti-incumbency wave across the state against the Pinarayi Vijayan govt. UDF won 102 seats in the 140-member legislative assembly. The magnitude of the victory surprised even the winners. The major factor that contributed to the crushing of the LDF is considered to be public anger directed at what has been described by rivals as Pinarayi Vijayan’s “despotic” tendencies, especially LDF won the 2021 assembly election. At the same time, BJP achieved a breakthrough by winningthree seats. UDF displayed a clear edge over LDF in the 2025 local body elections, and this fanned hope in its cadres. Yet, LDF was able to build a narrative that created the impression that LDF and UDF were locked in a close contest. CPM tried to brand UDF as a den of extremist communal elements and pointed to Jamat-e-Islami and SDPI support of UDF as proof.
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By doing this, Vijayan cosied up to majority community organisations leaders with an eye on the Hindu majority vote. But UDF’s resounding victory across regions rendered narratives around minority appeasement almost dead stock. Attempts to influence the Nair and Ezhava communities by placating the NSS and SNDP leaderships again proved futile. Congress, which has a very loose, and weak, organisational structure in Kerala, still won 63 seats, which means public support swayed in its favour across castes and communities. Congress had just 21 MLAs in the outgoing assembly.Also Read | Left with no govt: Kerala’s pendulum swings away from LDF after a decadeCPM was also humiliated by the victories of three former party functionaries — V Kunhikrishnan won as a UDFbacked Independent in Payyannur in Kannur, a red citadel; T K Govindan defeated CPM state secretary M V Govindan’s wife, P K Syamala, in Thaliparamba, Kannur; and former minister G Sudhakaran was victorious as a UDFsupported Independent in Ambalapuzha.
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Other than CPI and RJD, which won eight and one seat each, respectively, none of the other seven LDF coalition partners won a seat this time. Most of the ministers in Pinarayi Vijayan’s cabinet also failed to be re-elected. UDF’s comeback was also made possible by several of its politicians. V D Satheesan led UDF from the front and even vowed he would go into political exile if UDF failed to win this election. He even said UDF would return to govt with 100 seats, his public remarks boosting morale within Congress’ weak organisational machine. UDF, in fact, worked as a single bloc: Indian Union Muslim League has won 22 seats and Kerala Congress seven, and none of its allies have drawn a blank. For BJP, Kerala 2026 was a much-awaited breakthrough. Party state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrested back Nemom from education minister V Sivankutty, former Union minister V Muraleedharan won Kazhakuttom after a tight fight with CPM veteran Kadakampally Surendran, and B B Gopakumar won a third seat for BJP in Chathannur, in Kollam district. The saffron party’s three victories means Chandrasekhar’s strategy of stressing development over politics throughout the campaign worked.
