The Congress-led United Democratic Front won the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections on Monday and is set to form the government in the state.

The United Democratic Front won 98 seats, data from the Election Commission showed. Of these, the Congress won 63 seats.

A party or an alliance needs 71 seats in the 140-member Assembly to secure a majority.

There were four Independent candidates, reportedly backed by the United Democratic Front, who also won.

The Left Democratic Front won 35 seats. Of these, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) won 26 seats.

More than 880 candidates are contesting the polls. The polling in all 140 seats was held on April 9. A turnout of 79.6% was recorded.

Several exit polls had forecast that the Congress-led alliance would win the elections.

Earlier on Monday, as the counting trends became clear, Congress’ state chief Sunny Joseph thanked the voters of Kerala for giving the alliance a “thumping victory” in the elections.

“This is a repetition of what has happened in the local body,” Joseph told reporters. “This is a clear verdict against the LDF for their anti-people activities and policies.”

In December, the Congress-led alliance had defeated the LDF in the elections to the local bodies in the state.

Follow Scroll’s coverage of the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections here.

In 2021, the LDF had broken a 44-year trend of incumbents losing power. The alliance picked up 99 seats in the 140-member Assembly. The UDF had won 41.

The polls were held against the backdrop of the Election Commission having carried out a special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in 12 states and Union Territories, including Kerala.

More than eight lakh were removed from the electoral rolls in Kerala during the revision process, which began in November.

The elections in the state are typically defined by a contest between the LDF and the UDF. However, several constituencies this time stand out because of narrow margins recorded in previous elections, shifting voter patterns and triangular contests involving the NDA. The outcomes in these seats could influence the overall result.

Also read: Kerala polls: 38% candidates have criminal cases, 23% with serious charges