Similarly locked in the ballot boxes is the fate of Opposition leader VD Satheesan, veteran Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala and BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar. An estimated 75% of voters had cast their ballots till 5 pm.
Voters cast their ballots across 30,495 polling booths spread over 140 constituencies, with a total electorate of approximately 2.71 crore (27.1 million), including first-time and special-category voters. Polling steadily rose during the day: 16.23% in the early hours, 33% by 11 am, 50% at 1 pm, 63% by 3 pm, and 75% by 5 pm, according to the Election Commission of India data.
The Election Commission will declare results on May 4.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, Kerala had about 2.74 crore (27.4 million) registered voters, with polling held in a single phase on April 6 and results declared on May 2. Voter turnout then stood at 74.06%, reflecting the state’s long-standing tradition of high political participation. The slight drop in voter numbers from 2021 is due to a revision of electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which removed duplicates, outdated entries.
Some districts in this election recorded exceptionally high voter turnout, nearing 80%, including Ernakulam, Palakkad, and Kozhikode, indicating unusually strong participation.
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Both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) expressed confidence about forming the next government. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led in the state by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, is aiming to make inroads in Kerala’s political landscape.
“The people of Kerala will give us more seats compared to the previous Assembly election in 2021. We are with the people, and the people are with us,” Vijayan told reporters after casting his vote in Kannur.
In the 2016 elections, the LDF won 91 seats and the UDF 47. In 2021, the LDF strengthened its position, winning 99 seats against UDF’s 41, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) failed to win any seat. The majority mark is 71.
Satheesan urged voters to participate in large numbers, expressing confidence that the UDF would secure over 100 seats and form the government. Chandrasekhar described the election as “historic,” claiming that neither the CPI(M)-led LDF nor UDF would get a clear mandate, and that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) could play a decisive role in Kerala politics going forward.
Several key constituencies are set for high-stakes contests. In Nemom, Chandrasekhar faces labour minister V Sivankutty and UDF’s K Sabarinadhan, a former councillor and ex-MLA. In Peravoor constituency in Kannur district, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph takes on LDF’s former health minister K K Shailaja. Other seats are also witnessing contests involving independents and high-profile candidates.
