Kerala vote count: Congress-led UDF crosses halfway mark
Congress alliance leads in 82 seats as counting continues across key states
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) crossed the halfway mark in Kerala on Monday, taking a clear lead in early Election Commission trends as counting of votes continued across key states.
According to official data, the UDF was leading in 82 seats, with the Congress ahead in 50 constituencies and its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League, leading in 17. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) was trailing with leads in 51 seats.
As per the latest trends, 14 ministers, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, are trailing in their respective constituencies. In 2021, Vijayan won Dharmadam with a margin of 50,000 votes.
UDF points to anti-incumbency
Congress leaders attributed the early lead to strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the LDF government.
State Congress president Sunny Joseph said “anti-people policies” had contributed to the ruling alliance’s performance.
Congress MP Jebi Mather said the outcome was beyond expectations.
“The people of Kerala have given a decisive mandate to the UDF. It reflects both confidence in our leadership and dissatisfaction with the LDF government,” she said.
Counting under way across states
Counting began earlier in the day across 823 constituencies in Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The process started with postal ballots, followed by Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) counts from 8:30am. Round-wise results are being updated in real time on the Election Commission’s official platforms.
Security has been tightened at counting centres across states to ensure smooth conduct.
Security stepped up, minor tensions reported
In West Bengal, security patrols, including armoured vehicles, were deployed in sensitive areas such as Malda. Strong rooms were opened across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry ahead of counting.
Minor tensions were reported at some centres. In West Bengal, polling agents from rival parties traded allegations over access rules inside counting halls.
A Trinamool Congress (TMC) agent alleged that its representatives were not allowed to carry materials such as files and pens, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agents were permitted.
BJP representatives denied the claim, alleging that some TMC agents did not carry valid identification and created disruptions.
As counting progresses, trends are expected to stabilise through the day, offering a clearer picture of the final outcome in Kerala and other key states.
