Kerala Election Result 2021 Highlights: Counting of votes for the assembly elections in Kerala began at 8.00 am along with Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and the union territory of Puducherry. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has won a historical second term bucking the four-decade-long trend of voting out incumbents in Kerala. In the 2021 elections, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the ruling LDF had been winning alternate elections since the early 1980s. Congress and the Left Front, which are allies in Bengal, competed against each other for power in Kerala. In Kerala, a total of 957 candidates, including Pinarayi Vijayan, 11 of his cabinet colleagues, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy, BJP state chief K Surendran, 'Metroman' E Sreedharan, and former Union minister, KJ Alphons among others were in the fray for the 140 assembly seats. Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for the latest updates as votes are counted across the state.
In November 2018, when Kerala was facing the political heat of the Sabarimala issue, the then state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) PS Sreedharan Pillai had stated the women entry issue at the Ayyappa temple as a “golden opportunity” for the party in Kerala.
Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and other national leaders spearheading the campaign, the saffron party failed to even retain their existing seat, Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram district.
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Kerala Congress(M) leader and LDF candidate Jose K Mani, who lost to UDF rival and sitting MLA Mani C Kappan of NCP in Pala, on Sunday alleged that trading of votes between UDF and BJP was the reason for his defeat. Mani lost by a margin of over 15,000 votes. He had joined the LDF ahead of the April 6 assembly polls, after severing his party's decades-long alliance with the Congress-led UDF.
Indian Union Muslim League candidate Abdussamad Samadani wins Malappuram parliamentary, as per Election Commission of India
CPI's V Sivankutty defeats senior BJP leader and former Meghalaya Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan by 3,949 votes in Nemom Assembly constituency.
His decades-long political acumen came to the fore as Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led the ruling LDF to a thumping win over opposition UDF in the keenly fought April 6 assembly polls, bucking an over four-decade-old trend of power alternating between two fronts.
A combination of factors contributed to LDF’s historic victory, including delivery of a string of populist measures like distribution of free food grain and provision kits to all people, better management of the COVID-19 situation by gearing up the public health care system, and enhanced and prompt payout of social security pensions.
Severe organisational weaknesses of the Congress and the BJP’s foray into the traditional anti-Left support base also helped the LDF coast to victory comfortably. (PTI)
R Bindu of the CPI (M) wins the seat against Thomas Unniyadan by a margin of 5,949 votes. The seat was held by KU Arunan also of CPM.
CPIM leader and Kerala Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran wins from Kazhakootam by a margin of 23,497 votes. In the 2016 Kerala Assembly elections, Kadakampally Surendran had won the Kazhakootam seat by defeating V Muraleedharan of BJP by a margin of 7,347 votes.
Pinarayi Vijayan, LDF
“I would like to congratulate Pinarayi Vijayan and the LDF for winning the Kerala Assembly elections. We will continue working together on a wide range of subjects and to ensure India mitigates the COVID-19 global pandemic,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on May 2.
Congress opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala won Haripad Assembly seat by defeating Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate R Sajilal. Chennithala defeated Sajilal by 13,666 votes. Chennithala managed to retain the seat that he had won in 2016 by beating CPI's P Prasad by a margin of 18,621 votes.
The news that the swearing-in ceremony will take place tomorrow is not true. The resignation will be submitted when I reach Thiruvananthapuram tomorrow. The rest will be decided after discussion with the party and the Front: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Former Kerala Chief Minister and Congress heavyweight Oommen Chandy won the Puthuppally Assembly seat once again, by defeating CPI (M)'s Jaick C Thomas by 9,044 votes. This is the second time Thomas lost to the Congress veteran. In the 2016 Kerala Assembly elections, Oommen Chandy had won in this seat by defeating Jaick C Thomas by a margin of 27,092 votes.
Congress leader Shafi Parambil won the Palakkad assembly seat by 3,859 votes against BJP leader ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan, who had joined the saffron party in February 2021. The incumbent Congress MLA Parambil had defeated BJP’s Sobha Surendran by a margin of 17,483 in the 2016 Kerala Assembly elections.
Indian Union Muslim League AKM Ashraf wins by a margin of 745 votes, defeating Kerala BJP president K Surendran in the Manjeshwar Assembly constituency.
