Kerala assembly election 2021 results LIVE: “I humbly dedicate this great victory to the people of Kerala….Kerala has given a verdict in favour of the LDF. But this is not the time to celebrate with great joy as COVID19 continues to spread. This is the time to continue the fight against COVID19,” said Pinarayi Vijayan addressing the media after the CPI(M)-led LDF decimated the Congress-led UDF. The LDF has taken a decisive lead in over 95 seats while the UDF is hanging around 41 seats. The BJP is expected to win one seat. Kerala went to polls in single phase on April 6. While Kerala had been voting for the UDF and the LDF alternatively in the past four decades. However, the Vijayan government managed to break the chain and assure that Left retains power in the state. Exit polls released on Thursday had also predicted the return of the Left government headed by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Here, the contest was expected to be between the Left-led LDF and and Congress-led UDF. Except for one poll, almost all have predicted win for the LDF. India Today-Axis My India has predicted 104-120 seats for Left, 20-36 for Congress, and 0-2 for the NDA. News24-Today’s Chanakya has predicted 93-111 for Left, 26-44 for the Congress, and 0-6 for the NDA. The BJP has been trying to expand its base, but the exit poll numbers project that maximum it can get is just 6 seats.
In the last election held in 2016, the Left has got 91 seats, Congress 47 and the BJP 1. This time, the Congress was hoping to return to power and Rahul Gandhi campaigned extensively in the state. If the exit poll number hold, it would be big setback for Gandhi who was hoping to win at least two states — Kerala and Assam — where the Congress was in direct contest. The numbers could also be disappointing for the saffron party which was hoping to better its tally in the backdrop of Sabarimala incident, and gold smuggling scam against the Left government of Vijayan. But exit polls suggest that neither Congress nor BJP has gained the ground in Kerala.
