Kerala Election: Ahead of Forming New Govt, Vijayan Resigns as CM
Catch all live updates on the Kerala Assembly election results here.
Pinarayi Vijayan who steered the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala to a resounding victory in the 2021 Assembly elections resigned from his post of Chief Minister, ahead of the new ministry formation, on Monday, 3 May.
Since 1977, this is the first time that Kerala re-elected an incumbent government and broke the pattern of voting the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) to power every alternate term.
As counting concluded on Sunday, 2 May, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) won 99 Assembly constituencies, 8 more than the 2016 Assembly elections. The main opposition - UDF won 41 seats while BJP lost the one seat they had in Nemom, as CPI(M) candidate V Sivankutty clinched victory with a margin of nearly 4,000 votes.
- Incumbent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan won Dharmadam, whereas Metroman E Sreedharan lost Palakkad to Congress’ Shafi Parambil
- Health Minister KK Shailaja won Mattannur with a huge margin, whereas Mani C Kappen, the UDF candidate secured over 14,000 votes more than Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani and retained the Pala Assembly seat.
- BJP candidate and actor Suresh Gopi lost Thrissur, whereas Congress’ Ramesh Chennithala won Haripad
- ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan who contested from Palakkad lost to sitting Congress MLA Shafi Parambil who won the seat by a margin of 3000 votes
- CPI(M) Candidate V Sivankutty clinches Nemom, defeating BJP’s candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the party workers for their efforts and congratulated Vijayan on his victory
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)
Exit Polls Predicted LDF Victory
Four major exit poll surveys – CVoter, India Today-My Axis, Today’s Chanakya, and Republic-CNX – had predicted a return of Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government in Kerala in the 140-seat battle against Congress-led Opposition. The pollsters showed that the NDA will continue to remain a marginal player in the southern state.
The LDF win means a shift from the trend of the incumbent losing in every second electoral cycle.
According to CVoter exit poll data, the ruling LDF was projected to secure 42.8 percent votes. The UDF was expected to get 41.4 percent vote share, while the NDA was likely to get 13.7 percent votes.
Counting of Votes Begins at 8 am
Counting of votes for the 2021 Kerala Assembly election will begin at 8 am.
Former CM Oommen Chandy Offers Prayers at Puthuppally Church
Former Chief Minister of Kerala and Congress leader Oommen Chandy offered prayers at the Puthuppally Church, reported ANI.
He was the party's candidate from Puthuppally Assembly constituency.
Counting of Votes Begins
Counting begins for the Assembly election in Kerala begins. Postal votes to be counted first.
Early Trends Show LDF Lead in 8 Seats, UDF in 5
Early trends for Kerala show that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is leading in eight seats and the United Democratic Front (UDF) leading in five, while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is leading in none.
Close Contest Between LDF and UDF
Early trends for the Kerala Assembly polls predict a close contest between the LDF and the UDF. Here are the trends as of 8:35 am:
- LDF: 54
- UDF: 34
- BJP+: 2
Latest Trends at 9 am
Pinarayi Vijayan Leads in Dharmadam, Metroman Sreedharan in Palakkad
Incumbent Chief Minister and CPI (M) candidate from Dharmadam, Pinarayi Vijayan is currently leading from the Dharmadam Assembly constituency, while E Sreedharan is ahead in Palakkad.
BJP Candidate Leads in Nemom
BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan is leading in Nemom Assembly constituency.
Early Trends Show LDF Crossing Halfway Mark
As per trends at 9: 40 am, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is leading in 88 seats in the 140-seat Kerala Assembly. While the United Democratic Front (UDF) is ahead in 47, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is leading in 4.
KK Shailaja Leads in Mattannur
CPI (M) candidate and Health Minister of Kerala. KK Shailaja Teacher is leading in the Mattannur Assembly constituency by over 8000 votes.
BJP Leading a Neck-to-Neck, Three-Way Contest in Nemon
BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan is leading in Nemon. The constituency is witnessing a three-way battle between Rajasekharan, CPI (M) candidate V Sivankutty and K Muraleedharan from the Congress.
Oommen Chandy Leads in Puthuppally
Former Kerala Chief Minister and Congress candidate Oommen Chandy is leading in the Puthupally constituency by 3240 votes.
Trends at 11 AM: LDF Maintains Lead in 90 Seats
BJP Gains in Kerala
In Palakkad, Metroman E Sreedharan is leading ahead of LDF and UDF candidates. Sreedharan was BJP's warhorse in Kerala and his candidature seems to have improved the NDA's prospects.
In Thrissur, actor-politician Suresh Gopi is leading by 1,530 votes.
Jose K Mani Trails in Pala; UDF's Mani Kappan Races Ahead
Kerala Congress leader Jose K Mani is trailing in his stronghold, Pala. The Kerala Congress (M) joined LDF ahead of the elections promising Christian votes. UDF’s Mani Kappan is leading in Pala.
Close Contest Between LDF's Jake Thomas and Oommen Chandy
Puthupally is witnessing a close contest between LDF’s Jake C Thomas and former Chief Minister and Congress candidate Oommen Chandy with Chandy’s lead margin down to 3000 votes.
LDF Leads in 92 Seats, UDF in 44
Latest Trends: LDF leads in 92, BJP Down to 2
As per the trends at 12:44 pm, the LDF continues to lead in 92 seats, whereas, the lead of the BJP is down to 2 seats in Kerala. UDF is leading in 45 constituencies.
KK Shailaja Leads By Over 23,000 Votes
Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja is headed for a record victory in Mattannur Assembly constituency with a lead margin of over 23,000 votes.
Significant Victory for LDF: Prakash Karat
“This is a significant victory as in past 40 years no government has been re-elected for a second successive term,” CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat tells news agency ANI as the LDF continues to maintain a comfortable lead in Kerala.
BJP State President Trailing in Manjeshwar and Konni
BJP Kerala State President K Surendran continues to trail in both Manjeshwar and Konni Assembly seats.
Kejriwal Congratulates Vijayan
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to congratulate Pinarayi Vijayan for LDF’s performance in Assembly polls.
LDF Leads in 97 Seats, UDF in 43
Tejashwi Yadav Congratulates Vijayan
The leader of Bihar’s opposition, Tejashwi Yadav congratulated Pinarayi Vijayan for his “stellar victory”.
Metroman Loses Palakkad
According to News18, BJP’s E Sreedharan lost Palakkad Assembly seat to Congress’ Shafi Parambil despite being in the lead for much of the day.
LDF Leads in 99 Seats, UDF in 41
KK Shailaja Leads with A Massive Margin
CPI(M) candidate KK Shailaja Teacher led in the Mattannur Assembly seat with a margin of 52,576 votes over UDF’s Illikkal Augusthy.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan Cautions Against Celebrations Amid COVID Surge
CM Pinarayi Vijayan cautioned against celebrating the LDF’s victory, stating that it was time to “fight against COVID-19”.
“Kerala has given a verdict in favour of the LDF. But this is not the time to celebrate with great joy as COVID-19 continues to spread. This is the time to continue the fight against COVID-19,” the chief minister was quoted as saying by ANI.
Viyajan Dedicates Victory to People of Kerala
As LDF was re-elected to power, CM Vijayan dedicated his “great victory” to the people of Kerala.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan Wins Dharmadam
Vijayan retained his seat at Dharmadam, winning over INC candidate C Raghunathan, with a margin of 50,123 votes.
KK Shailaja Wins Mattannur With a Margin of 60k Votes
Health Minister KK Shailaja Teacher won the Mattannur Assembly seat over UDF’s candidate Illikal Augushty with a margin of 60,963 votes.
Vijayan Thanks People for 'Reposing Faith' in LDF
The chief minister thanked the people of Kerala over Twitter and urged them to “come together” in tackling the COVID pandemic.
BJP State Chief Loses Manjeshwar
BJP state chief K Surendran lost Manjeshwar to Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)’s candidate A K M Ashraf by a small margin of 745 votes.
Metroman Loses Palakkad to INC With a Margin of Nearly 4k Votes
PM Modi Thanks Supporters, Party Workers As BJP Faces Defeat
While all the BJP candidates lost in their respective constituencies, PM Narendra Modi tweeted his thanks to the people who supported the party and all the ‘karyakartas’, for their efforts.
PM Modi Congratulates Vijayan
PM Modi congratulated Pinarayi Vijayan on his victory and stated that they “will continue working together” and ensure that the country will mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
BJP's Suresh Gopi Loses Thrissur to CPI(M) Candidate
Despite being in the lead earlier on Sunday, BJP candidate and actor Suresh Gopi lost in Thrissur. CPI (M)‘s P Balachandran clinched victory over INC’s Padmaja Venugopal with a margin of 946 votes.
UDF's Leader Ramesh Chennithala Wins Haripad
Congress candidate and leader of the UDF alliance Ramesh Chennithala won in Haripad with a margin of 13,666 votes, over CPI(M) candidate R Sajilal.
CPI(M) Candidate Wins Nemom After Close Fight With BJP
BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan was unable to retain the party’s hold over Nemom, as CPI(M) candidate V Sivankutty won the seat with a margin of 3,949 votes.
Kerala Minister Kadakampally Surendran Wins Kazhakkoottam
Kerala Minister and CPI(M) candidate Kadakampally Surendran won the Kazhakkoottam Assembly seat, defeating BJP’s Sobha Surendran with a margin of 23,497 votes.
BJP State Chief Loses In Both Konni, Manjeshwar
CPI(M) candidate K U Jenish Kumar won Konni with a margin of 8,508 votes over INC’s Robin Peter.
With this, the BJP state chief K Surendran lost in both the seats he was contesting - Konni and Manjeshwar.
Kerala Congress(M) Chief Jose K Mani Defeated in Pala
Kerala Congress(M)‘s leader Jose K Mani lost to UDF’s independent candidate Mani C Kappan in Pala with a margin of 15,378 votes.
Ahead of Forming New Govt, Pinarayi Vijayan Resigns as CM
Pinarayi Vijayan who steered the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala to a resounding victory in the 2021 Assembly elections resigned from his post of Chief Minister, ahead of the new ministry formation, on Monday, 3 May.
According to sources, he went to the Raj Bhavan on Monday and submitted his resignation letter to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan. He has been asked to continue as Chief Minister till the new government is sworn in, a Raj Bhavan source said, reported The News Minute.