UDF Heads for Historic Kerala Win; AICC to Decide on CM: Sachin Pilot

Sachin Pilot hails a 'decisive and historic win' for the Congress-led UDF in Kerala. He credits the people for voting out the Left government and says the AICC will decide the CM. Shashi Tharoor also calls the victory 'historic'.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday hailed the latest trends indicating a sweeping victory for the Congress-led UDF and declared that the party is heading for a "decisive and historic win" in Kerala. Speaking to ANI, he thanked Congress party workers for fighting a united battle to win the state elections. He credited the victory to the people of Kerala, who voted out a Left government in the state. "The present indications are that the Congress-led UDF is heading for a decisive and a historic win in Kerala...I still believe that we will have a thumping majority and when we win, the credit of this victory goes to the people of Kerala who have voted out a left government...The people of Kerala and our workers and our leaders fought a united battle and the political calculations that the BJP was doing in trying to prevent the UDF from coming to power by indirectly helping the LDF, the attempt has failed..." said Pilot.

AICC to Decide on Chief Minister

Discussing the appointment of the Chief Minister in Kerala following the victory, Pilot mentioned that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) will decide on the matter within a couple of days. He also stated that Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and other senior leaders will collectively take feedback from all leaders before finalising the decision. "We'll talk to our allies, the leadership will consult the MLAs. The AICC will appoint individuals to go and take feedback. All this will happen in the next couple of days...The AICC will decide it, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Madam Gandhi will collectively take feedback from all leaders..." added Pilot.

Latest Election Trends

Meanwhile, as per the latest trends from the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Congress-led UDF is leading on 13 seats and has won 50 seats out of 140. The CPI(M)-led LDF is leading in five seats and has won 21 seats, followed by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) with 10 leads and 12 wins.

Shashi Tharoor Hails 'Historic' Mandate

Reacting to the latest trends, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor termed the Keralam Assembly Election 2026 verdict a "historic" and "tremendous" mandate for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). Speaking to reporters here, Tharoor said the scale of the win had exceeded expectations and reflected a strong desire for political change among voters. "It's a historic day for us. It's a tremendous victory... even greater than we had expected. We are looking at an amazing result in Kerala, conceivably over 100 seats," Tharoor said.

He noted that the outcome could mark a significant shift in India's political landscape, adding that the Left's decline in Kerala would signal the end of its last major stronghold. "In some ways, it is a closing of a big chapter in India's democratic political history," he remarked.

2021 Assembly Election Results

In 2021, the LDF expanded its dominance, winning 99 seats, marking a historic consecutive re-election for Pinarayi Vijayan. The CPI(M) increased its tally to 62 seats, while the CPI secured 17. The UDF's performance declined further, dropping to 41 seats, with the Congress winning 21 and the IUML 15. The BJP, despite contesting widely, failed to win any seats in that election.

CM Contenders and Generational Shift

A UDF victory this time would also signal a generational shift in Keralam politics, as the party moves forward without stalwarts like K Karunakaran and Oommen Chandy. Leadership within the alliance is now centred around figures such as V D Satheesan, who has been a prominent voice against the LDF government. Other key names in contention for the Chief Ministerial position include KPCC president Sunny Joseph, known for his organisational role, Ramesh Chennithala, a long-serving MLA, and Lok Sabha member, K C Venugopal, whose proximity to the party's central leadership could work in his favour.

Vote Counting Process

Counting began at 8 am today across 823 constituencies in key regions including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Keralam, Assam, and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The process began with postal ballots, followed by counting of Electronic Voting Machines from 8:30 am, with round-wise results being updated in real time on the ECINET platform and the Election Commission's official portal.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)