Kerala Assembly Elections

VD Satheesan sworn in as Kerala CM, 20 Cabinet ministers also take oath

V D Satheesan on Monday took oath as Kerala's Chief Minister, and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to the Congress Legislature Party leader here. Satheesan took oath in the name of God. Besides Satheesan, his 20-member Cabinet will also be sworn in by the Governor. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others, attended the swearing-in ceremony. Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Left leaders, and BJP representatives also attended the ceremony. Thousands of Congress workers arrived in the state capital from across Kerala for the event. The Assembly elections to the 140-member House were held on April 9, with the results declared on May 4. The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats, while the LDF secured 35 and the BJP won three.

VD Satheesan to take oath as Kerala CM today, UDF cabinet to be sworn-in

After a decade-long Left rule, Kerala is all set for a regime change on Monday, with a 21-member UDF cabinet led by Congress leader V D Satheesan set to be sworn in at the state capital at 10 am. Preparations have been completed at Central Stadium, where a massive stage has been set up for the oath-taking ceremony. Workers have put up temporary rain shelters and arranged seating for thousands of party workers, national political figures, and local dignitaries. Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and top party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among others are scheduled to attend the swearing-in. Kerala joins Karnataka and Telangana to become the third Congress ruled state in south in the recent times. Tight security arrangements have been put in place across the state capital ahead of the high-profile event. Special traffic arrangements have also been made in view of the large number of VIPs and UDF supporters arriving in the city. Traffic and parking regulations

Vadassery Damodaran Satheesan wins the race for Kerala chief minister

V D Satheesan has emerged as Kerala's next chief minister after the Congress leadership backed the popular Opposition leader following strong support from party workers and the public

Congress names VD Satheesan as next Kerala CM after days of suspense

The decision was taken at a meeting of newly elected Congress MLAs at the KPCC headquarters, ending days of internal deliberations over the state leadership

Cong picks VD Satheesan as Kerala chief minister after days of suspense

The 61-year-old leader is widely credited with the United Democratic Front's (UDF's) historic 102-seat victory in the 16th Assembly elections held last month

Congress to announce its Kerala chief ministerial pick on Thursday

Kerala is likely to know the name of its next Chief Minister later on Wednesday, with indications that the Congress high command could make an announcement before noon. The delay in the decision has kept the camps of three top contenders--AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala on edge. As the Congress leadership continued discussions over the selection of Kerala's next Chief Minister, party leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) presidents in Delhi to gather their views and help end the prolonged uncertainty. Sources said the Kerala leaders called to Delhi by the party leadership during crucial discussions on Tuesday expressed their views on the Chief Ministerial choice, with the names of Venugopal, Satheesan and Chennithala figuring prominently in the consultations as the high command continued its deliberations. Former KPCC chief K Muraleedharan, after meeting Gandhi

Venugopal factor looms as Congress huddles to pick Kerala's CM face

Days after the results of the Kerala Assembly election gave a decisive mandate to the Congress-led UDF, the party is yet to finalise its chief ministerial face, with its top brass in a huddle. The X-factor in the Kerala story is the powerful general secretary (organisation), K C Venugopal, the Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha who has thrown his hat in the ring even though he did not contest the assembly elections. Also in active contention are state Congress leaders V D Satheesan, who is the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the outgoing assembly, and former LoP Ramesh Chennithala, considered close to former party president Sonia Gandhi. The senior leaders gathered at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in the national capital, where they discussed the report of central observers, who are learnt to have indicated that a majority of MLAs support Venugopal. Sources said around 43 MLAs and all party MPs from the state have supported Venugopal as chief minister, given his stature in t

Decision on Kerala CM likely in 24 hours: Congress leader Muraleedharan

As lobbying intensifies among the three top contenders for the chief minister's post, senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan on Saturday said the party high command was likely to take a final decision on Kerala's next CM within 24 hours. The UDF's sweeping Assembly poll victory in Kerala has triggered a wave of lobbying and demonstrations by the supporters of senior leaders V D Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal, urging the Congress leadership to select the respective leaders as the new CM. "The information from Delhi is that discussions on the chief ministerial candidate will be completed within 24 hours," Muraleedharan told reporters. Acknowledging public fervour, he emphasised that flex boards and marches alone would not determine the leadership. He added that the views of MLAs and coalition partners would also be considered by the Congress leadership. "I will not publicly reveal what I told the high command representatives. I have conveyed the sentiments of the pe

UDF wins Kerala polls: Who are the Congress frontrunners for CM post?

The Congress-led UDF has returned to power in Kerala after 2016. The focus now shifts to who will be the party's CM choice

Kerala Assembly election results 2026: How top candidates performed

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

Assembly poll results 2026 HIGHLIGHTS: Suvendu Adhikari defeats Mamata by 15,105 votes in Bhabanipur

Assembly election results 2026 HIGHLIGHTS: BJP all set to form government in Assam, West Bengal and Puducherry; TVK sweeps DMK out of power in Tamil Nadu; UDF leads in Kerala

Kerala Assembly election results 2026: Check full list of winners

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.

Kerala election results 2026: Left demolished as Congress-led UDF wins big

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

Vote counting to begin at 8 am across Bengal, TN, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry

The process will commence with the counting of postal ballots at 8:00 am, followed by EVM counting from 8:30 am

Kerala poll turnout rises to 79.7% after service voters' ballots added: CEO

Kerala's voter turnout in the April 9 Assembly elections has tentatively risen to 79.70 per cent after the inclusion of service voters' postal ballots, CEO Rathan U Kelkar said on Sunday. Addressing a press conference here, Kelkar also outlined elaborate arrangements for the counting of votes scheduled for Monday. He said the polling percentage for the Assembly election was 79.63 per cent, excluding postal ballots of service voters. 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. "Service voters can submit postal ballots till before counting begins. We have directed the postal department that postal ballots received from service voters, including on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, should be handed over to the returning officers without delay," he said. He said the receipt of service voters' postal ballots had increased the polling percentage by 0.07 percentage points. "The present voting ..

Strong rooms, unsealed rooms shouldn't be opened under any circumstance: EC

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued clear directions to all District Election Officers and Returning Officers in Kerala not to open any strong rooms under any circumstances before the day the votes are counted. The direction was issued by Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar following reports of a strong room storing EVMs in Perambra constituency in Kozhikode being opened on Monday, and reported plans to open another one in Nenmara constituency in Palakkad. "It has been reiterated that under no circumstances shall any strong rooms or unsealed rooms be opened or accessed for the purpose of preparing Index Cards or verifying data in the ENCORE portal. "All concerned officers have been directed to ensure strict compliance with these instructions to safeguard the integrity, transparency, and security of the electoral process," a statement issued by Kelkar's office said. On Monday, the Kozhikode district administration had clarified that no strong room was opened. Colle

Why welfare remains central in Kerala's politics despite rising public debt

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

Kerala polls: Five key seats, five candidates to watch out on May 4

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

Record turnout: Assam 85.38%, Puducherry 89.83%; women lead surge

Assam and Puducherry surpassed their highest-ever poll-participation on Thursday by recording 85.38 per cent and 89.83 per cent respectively, the Election Commission said. Previously, the highest poll participation in Assam and Puducherry was 84.67 per cent (2016 assembly polls) and 86.19 per cent (2011 assembly polls) respectively, the poll authority noted. In Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, where assembly polls were held on Thursday, women voters outdid their male counterparts by lining up at voting centres. In Assam, while male participation stood at 84.80 per cent, female voter turnout was recorded at 85.96 per cent. Similarly in Kerala, the male poll participation was 75.01 per cent, while it was 80.86 per cent for women. In the Union Territory of Puducherry, 88.09 per cent of the male electors voted as compared to 91.33 per cent of the women. A total of 296 assembly constituencies in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry with a total electorate of over 5.31 crore went to polls, along

Kerala records over 78% voter turnout in high-stakes Assembly polls

Over 78 per cent of Kerala's voters on Thursday queued up across polling stations in 140 Assembly segments to elect the next government, with the state closing in towards its second best voter turnout in the process. 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. The polling process was largely peaceful, with only minor technical issues reported at a few locations. According to the figures released after 8 pm, 78.12 per cent of the 2.71 crore voters had cast their votes, and this is higher than the 74.06 per cent polling recorded in the 2021 Assembly elections. In the 1987 polls, the state registered 80.54 per cent polling. The highest-ever recorded turnout in the state during Assembly elections is 85.72 per cent in 1960, according to PIB data. Officials said the final turnout is expected to rise further as late voters in queues are counted. If the trend