Kerala Legislative Assembly Election 2026

What this countdown tracks

Counting day for the Kerala Legislative Assembly election 2026, set for Monday 4 May 2026, after a single phase of polling on Thursday 9 April 2026. The election fills all 140 seats of the Niyamasabha and decides whether Pinarayi Vijayan's Left Democratic Front secures a historic third consecutive term — a feat last achieved in Kerala in 1957–1965 — or the United Democratic Front under the Indian National Congress returns to power.

About this election

Kerala alternates power between the LDF (CPI(M)-led) and UDF (Congress-led) at almost every assembly election since the state was constituted in 1956 — until 2021, when Pinarayi Vijayan's LDF broke that 44-year cycle by winning a second straight five-year term with 99 of 140 seats. The 2021 mandate was framed as an endorsement of the Vijayan government's COVID-19 response, the Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission, and welfare programmes routed through Kudumbashree. Five years on, the 2026 vote is the first state-level referendum on that second term and the first with Vijayan as the longest-serving LDF chief minister.

The UDF returns to 2026 hopeful after sweeping the 2024 Lok Sabha contest in Kerala (18 of 20 seats). The Congress is led by V. D. Satheesan as Leader of the Opposition, while the IUML, KC(M), and RSP remain UDF partners. The BJP — which won its first Kerala Lok Sabha seat in 2024 in Thrissur — will contest standalone and is widely expected to focus on Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram, and the urban-coastal belt where it has built a sub-15 percent vote share. Issues on the ballot include the state's debt position and Centre–state fiscal devolution, the Sabarimala women-entry case after the 9-judge ruling, the Ezhava-Nair caste-political balance, and the controversies around AI Camera contracts and KIIFB borrowings.

What's on the ballot

All 140 single-member assembly constituencies vote in a single phase using EVMs with VVPAT. Polling stations open at 07:00 IST and close at 18:00 IST on 9 April 2026. The chief minister's office, control of the Devaswom Boards, and the state's posture on Sabarimala, beef ban politics and the lottery sector are at stake. The new assembly elects the Speaker and the Council of Ministers; the chief minister can have up to 21 cabinet members (15 percent of the assembly).

Past results

• 2021: LDF 99 (CPI(M) 62), UDF 41 (Congress 21). LDF held Vijayan as chief minister.
• 2016: LDF 91, UDF 47. Pinarayi Vijayan first sworn in as CM on 25 May 2016.
• 2011: UDF 72, LDF 68. Oommen Chandy returned as CM by a four-seat margin.
• 2006: LDF 98, UDF 42. V. S. Achuthanandan as CM.
• 2001: UDF 99, LDF 40. A. K. Antony as CM.

How to follow

Counting begins at 08:00 IST on 4 May 2026 with results.eci.gov.in publishing live constituency tallies. Asianet News, Manorama News, Mathrubhumi News, Reporter and Kairali TV anchor Malayalam-language coverage; The Hindu, Indian Express and Onmanorama lead English coverage. Postal-vote counting begins first, followed by EVM rounds; final results are typically declared by mid-afternoon. The Kerala Chief Electoral Officer at Vikas Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram certifies the outcome.

Related countdowns

The Kerala result lands on the same day as the Tamil Nadu Assembly election count and the West Bengal phase-2 counting. Watch for echoes in the UP Assembly election 2027 and the Karnataka Assembly election 2028 on the medium-term India political calendar.

FAQ

When does Kerala vote in 2026? Polling 9 April 2026; counting 4 May 2026. Where does the election happen? Across all 140 assembly constituencies in Kerala's 14 districts. Why does the Kerala 2026 election matter? It tests whether the LDF can win a third consecutive term and how much ground the BJP and a resurgent Congress have made since 2021. How many seats are needed for a majority? 71 of 140.