Kerala Assembly poll results: Key takeaways

LDF is all set to form government in Kerala after winning 99 seats out of 140 assembly states in the state. The Congress-led United Democratic Front was reduced to a mere 41 seats. The BJP, whose presence was marginal in the state, has been wiped out completely.

It is after four and a half decades that the state has re-elected the incumbent government. Health Minister KK Shailaja has emerged as the candidate to have won with the largest margin in Mattanur with about 61,000 votes. CM Pinarayi Vijayan won with over 50,000 votes from Dharmadom. The smallest margin has been recorded in Perinthalmanna where IUML candidate Najeeb Kanthapuram won against LDF-backed independent candidate PK Musthafa with merely 38 votes.

The newly elected assembly has 11 women; 10 from the LDF and 1 from the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP). KK Rema of RMP won with a margin of 7,491 in Vatakara constituency. The other ten women include KK Shailaja, Kanathil Jameela, R Bindu, CK Asha, Daleema Jojo, U Pratibha, Veena George, J Chinchu Rani, OS Ambika, and K Santhakumari. Present Minister of Fisheries J Mercykutty Amma, however, was defeated. Mercykutty Amma is the sole Left minister to have been defeated in this assembly elections.

Meanwhile, in Thavanur, LDF candidate and Minister of Higher Education KT Jaleel, whose result was much anticipated after he was accused in a gold smuggling case, won against Firoz Kunnamparambil with over 2,500 votes. Meanwhile, IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty has retained his place in Kerala politics after winning Vengara with over 30,000 votes. Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala won in Haripad with over 13,000 votes.

In Kunnathunad, CPM candidate Adv PV Sreenijin won despite competition from corporate-funded party Twenty-20 with over 2,700 votes. While CPM's MB Rajesh won against UDF candidate VT Balram in Thrithala, P Rajeev grabbed IUML-stronghold Kalamassery from Gafoor Ebrahim Kunju with over 15,000 votes.

Though BJP candidates Suresh Gopi, Metroman E Sreedharan and Kummanam Rajashekharan, from Thrissur, Palakkad and Nemom, respectively, was leading after the first few rounds of poll counting, they were soon overthrown. UDF's Shafi Prambil defeated E Sreedharan with approximately 4000 votes, CPM candidate V Sivankutty overthrew Kummanam in Nemom, and CPI candidate P Balachandran defeated Suresh Gopi in Thrissur.