The Hindu

BJPs decision to give most seats in the district to its ally Twenty20 backfires, with the corporate-backed outfit failing to make an impact; five segments that backed the Left front in 2021 shift their allegiance to UDF

Congress ends two-decade-old draught, wins five seats, K.K. Rema retains Vadakara. All the LDF incumbent MLAs in the district, including LDF convener T.P. Ramakrishnan and Minister for Forest and Wildlife A.K. Saseendran, face defeat

According to the front, nearly 160 postal ballots were invalidated due to serious lapses on the part of polling officials; it has decided to file an election petition before the High Court

Of the 21-strong LDF Council of Ministers, other than Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty, all others had contested. Eight CPI(M) Ministers and one CPI Minister were defeated

He adds the NDA benefited from the anti-incumbency prevailing in the State.

BJP had treated Palakkad as a winnable seat, with even Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigning for Sobha Surendran. However, she lost to UDF candidate Ramesh Pisharody by 13,147 votes

Idukki returned to the UDF camp after a five-year gap, ending Mr Augustines bid for a sixth consecutive term

While the IUML has long faced criticism for not fielding women in strong or winnable constituencies, Thahiliyas victory has challenged that perception and marked a clear shift in narrative

At Nemom, BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar defeated Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate and Minister V. Sivankutty by 4,978 votes. For former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan, victory came after a photo finish at Kazhakuttam. The most surprising victory for BJP was at Chathannur, where B.B. Gopakumar defeated CPIs R. Rajendran by 4,398 votes

Of the 19 seats it contested, Twenty20 could put up a fight only in Kunnathunad, bagging 40,000-odd votes. Yet party founder Sabu Jacob believes its alliance with the BJP will work in the long run. Of the 22 BDJS candidates, only the Aroor nominee could come up with a decent show. The performance raises existential questions for the two parties

Satheesan says his promise to the people is good governance, transparency and accountability and that performance monitoring will be a strong point of the governance

Rajendrans move to BJP saw him secure 15,032 votes largely from the plantation sector effectively paving the way for a United Democratic Front victory

The party secures a record 22 seats, strengthens the confidence of its allies, and emerges as the third largest party in the Assembly, after Congress and CPI(M). The party will have its first woman representative in the Assembly, Fatima Thahilia from Perambra

It is a personal and political win for her husband and Palakkad MP V.K. Sreekandan as well, as he was actively involved in her campaign, putting in sustained efforts on the ground

BJP candidate B.B. Gopakumar emerges victorious in the Assembly constituency in his third attempt

LDF convener T.P. Ramakrishnan says CPI(M) will engage directly with the public to understand the cause of the defeat

Sudhakaran, who contested as an independent, defeated CPI(M)s sitting MLA and his former party colleague H. Salam, by a margin of nearly 28,000 votes

UDFs emphatic win in the Kerala Assembly polls has not only silenced Satheesans critics, but reasserted the political supremacy of the Congress leader, who was given the task of reinvigorating the party and its disenchanted workers after he was chosen as the Leader of the Opposition following UDFs electoral debacle in 2021

Ms. Usman defeats CPI(M)s sitting MLA Daleema by a margin of 9,324 votes; Mr. Prasad, CPIs incumbent Minister, wins by a margin of 14,489 votes against K.R. Rajendra Prasad

Kelu, CPI(M) leader and Minister in the outgoing Cabinet, lost to Congress candidate Usha Vijayan by a margin of 10,543 votes

Live updates on the winners are being provided as counting continues.

In an apparent reference to the CM, she said the person who had allegedly branded others as traitors and called for their elimination was now standing exposed in the scorching sun

According to initial counting trends, G. Sudhakaran was ahead by more than 6,000 votes

The Left Democratic Front, which had won five seats in the 2021 elections, has failed to make an impact this time

An interactive map that shows who is winning from each constituency of Kerala

By the end of the 10th round of counting, Usha Vijayan has once again moved ahead, leading by a margin of 1,072 votes

In the third round of counting for the Idukki constituency, UDF candidate Roy K. Paulose has established a lead of 4,063 votes over LDF candidate and Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine

UDF candidate V.P. Abdul Rasheed surged ahead with a lead of 2,523 votes after nearly two hours of counting, overturning the LDFs initial advantage in the constituency

In the Mananthavady segment, CPI(M) candidate O.R. Kelu, a Minister in the present Cabinet, is trailing by 744 votes against his nearest rival, Usha Vijayan of the Congress.

In the traditional UDF bastion, Sajeev Joseph led by 2,393 votes in Irikkur, and Sunny Joseph maintained a lead of 111 votes in Peravoor

IMD withdraws heat alert for the State

The results will decide the next governments in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal

Kerala had 883 candidates in the fray on April 9 when, as per the latest updates, 79.7% of the 2.71 crore-strong electorate exercised their franchise

Strong rooms will be opened at 6:30 a.m. in the presence of candidates or their authorised representatives, and counting will begin at 8 a.m. Postal ballots will be taken up first, followed by votes recorded in electronic voting machines

Three centres, multi-layer security in place for smooth and transparent vote counting

All firecracker manufacturing and sales units will remain closed on May 4, 5