Senior Congress leader AK Antony praised the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) for its election victory in Keralam on Monday, describing the results as a clear reflection of anti-incumbency across the state.
The former Keralam Chief Minister stated the outcome revealed an “undercurrent of anti-government cyclone” that worked against the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Antony told reporters, “The results of the Kerala elections clearly show that there is an undercurrent of anti-government cyclone throughout the state. A third term for the LDF would have been a disaster for Kerala.” He criticised the left government for failing to address public concerns over ten years of governance and said the leadership did not understand the people’s pulse. “Ten years of misrule, the Left could not understand the pulse of the people,” he said.
Antony credited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for energising party workers and playing a decisive role in the UDF’s victory, stating, “Rahul Gandhi gave energy to the UDF. He was the main force behind this kind of victory for the UDF. Congress and UDF workers worked like a team.”
The Congress-led UDF in Keralam secured a majority in the 140-member Assembly, polling comfortably ahead of the ruling LDF led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The result is widely interpreted as a rejection of the LDF’s 10-year tenure, which had broken the state’s previous pattern of government change every five years.
In the 2021 elections, Pinarayi Vijayan of the LDF won with 59.8% of votes, while UDF candidate C Raghunathan received 28.4%. The LDF then secured 99 of 140 seats, with the CPI-M winning 62 seats, allowing Vijayan to serve another term as Chief Minister.
The UDF’s current victory represents a generational shift in Keralam politics, moving on from figures such as K Karunakaran and Oommen Chandy. Leadership now centres on figures like VD Satheesan, who has been a prominent critic of the LDF government. While anti-incumbency was expected against the decade-long LDF government, the extent of the UDF’s lead has attracted attention.
Additionally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will, for the first time in Keralam’s political history, have three Members of the Legislative Assembly representing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Keralam Assembly.
Keralam’s elections were held in a single phase on April 9, with a high voter turnout of 78.27%. Counting began at 8 am on May 4 across 823 constituencies in several key areas including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Keralam, Assam, and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The process started with postal ballots, followed by Electronic Voting Machines from 8:30 am. Round-wise results have been updated in real time on the ECINET platform and the Election Commission’s official portal.