Kerala election schedule 2026: Phased voting on April 9, results on May 4; check full details

The Election Commission on Sunday announced the election dates for Kerala. The state will go to polls in the first phase on April 9. Counting will take place on May 4.

Elections will be held for all 140 seats in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, with the Chief Minister-led ruling party Left Democratic Front (LDF) Pinarayi Vijayan After being successfully re-elected in 2021, seeking a third consecutive term.

The Liberal Democratic Party is expected to face a strong challenge from the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) led by the Indian National Congress, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party will also be involved in this contest, trying to expand its influence in the state and do everything possible to reverse the situation.In the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections, the LDF won a historic second consecutive term, winning 99 seats while the UDF won 41 seats. The BJP failed to open an account in Parliament that year. The state’s voter turnout rate was 74.06%.In the 2016 parliamentary election, the Liberal Democratic Front returned to power with 91 seats, defeating the then-ruling United Front with 47 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party won the Inner Mongolia constituency and opened an account in the Kerala Assembly for the first time, with a voter turnout of 77.35%.The upcoming election is expected to be mainly a direct contest between the LDF and the United Democratic Front, with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance trying to make inroads and turn the contest into a triangular contest in several constituencies.at the same time, election commission of india Reviewed poll preparations in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, assam and Puducherry earlier this month. As part of the preparatory work, the Commission appointed central observers under its plenary powers conferred by Section 324 of the Constitution and Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, to assist in the conduct of free and fair elections and to oversee the management of the electoral process on the ground.