Kerala polls: Tharoor confident in UDF win despite early polling date

Shashi Tharoor is confident of a UDF victory in the Kerala polls, despite early dates giving incumbents an edge. He said the Congress has a strong, positive message for Kerala's future, which will resonate with voters and secure a win.

With Kerala Assembly Elections just a few weeks away, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday expressed confidence in a Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) victory, while noting that an early polling date creates a compressed timeline for new candidates.

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor, who also represents the parliamentary constituency of Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha, noted that while incumbent Left Democratic Front (LDF) members have a preparation advantage, the Congress is focused on a positive campaign for the state's future.

Tharoor Confident Despite 'Compressed Timeline'

"I think this is an election we should win. And the only problem is that the election is much sooner than anyone anticipated. So, because the incumbent government has all the incumbents, they need less time to prepare. Whereas we have new candidates who need to go out and familiarise themselves with the electorate and with the voters. But I'm still confident."

Tharoor highlighted a dual-pronged strategy, combining criticism of the incumbent government with a positive vision aimed at Kerala's youth. "I think that we have a strong message, not only a negative message against the failures of the incumbent government, but also a very positive message about the future directions of Kerala," he said, expressing hope that this platform will resonate with voters and secure a win for the alliance.

Candidate Selection and Party Lists

Regarding the potential for sitting MPs to contest, Tharoor emphasised that he did not want to get into the "controversy" but indicated personal support for the idea, calling them "great assets". "There are two or three MPs who would like to contest. And personally, I think they are great assets for the party. So if they wish to contest, I have no difficulty with that," he noted.

He reiterated that the final candidate lineup is ultimately determined by the party high command.

Congress on Tuesday announced its list of 55 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections. The party has fielded Kerala Congress Committee President Sunny Joseph from the Peravoor seat. Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan has been fielded from the Paravur seat.

This comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released the first list of candidates for the upcoming Kerala state polls. The party has fielded BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar from Nemom seat and former Union Minister of State for External Affairs of India, V Muraleedharan, from Kazhakoottam seat.

Election Schedule and Past Results

The 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, the Election Commission of India announced on Sunday, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4. The main electoral contest in the State is expected between the Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Indian National Congress. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, is also in the fray for the Assembly polls.

The tenure of the current assembly is scheduled to end on May 23, 2026.

In the previous Kerala Assembly election in 2021, the incumbent LDF retained power with 99 seats, marking the first time since 1977 that a ruling alliance secured consecutive terms in the state. The UDF won 41 seats, while the NDA saw a decline in vote share and lost its only seat in the Assembly.

The 2016 Assembly elections had also seen the LDF come to power, winning 77 seats with a vote share of 34.8 per cent. The UDF secured 47 seats with 38.2 per cent of the votes, reflecting a closely contested political environment at the time.

A comparison between the two elections shows a consolidation of support for the LDF between 2016 and 2021, with the alliance increasing its seat tally by 17 seats. The UDF, meanwhile, saw its representation in the Assembly decline from 47 seats in 2016 to 40 seats in 2021. (ANI)

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