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Congress-led UDF sweeps Kerala Assembly polls, ending LDF rule in a landslide verdict, while BJP opens its account with three seats, signalling a gradual expansion

Counting of votes for Kerala's 140 Assembly seats concluded on Monday, as Congress-led UDF is set to make a comeback in the state.

The UDF will make a comeback in the state after 2016; however, the coalition's chief ministerial candidate has not been announced yet.

The Congress-led UDF was leading in more than 90 seats at 2 pm, while several prominent candidates, including Pinarayi Vijayan, VD Satheeshan and KK Shailaja, saw mixed trends

The chief electoral officer said 53,984 postal ballots had been issued to service voters, of which 20,028 had been received as of May 1

Exit polls show a setback for the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF, strongly favouring the UDF, while the BJP remains on the margins

The direction was issued following reports of a strong room storing EVMs in Perambra constituency in Kozhikode being opened and reported plans to open another one in Nenmara constituency in Palakkad

Rising debt and shrinking fiscal space have not weakened welfare politics in Kerala. Despite warnings from CAG and RBI, parties continue to rely on welfarism during elections

With voting complete across Kerala's 140 constituencies, the fate of over 883 candidates has been sealed. All eyes now turn to May 4. Here are five key seats and candidates to watch

The strong turnout will decide whether the ruling LDF secures a straight third term, the UDF makes a comeback, or the BJP springs a surprise in an otherwise bipolar contest