Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Kerala Local Bypolls Deliver Setback to Ruling UDF
Kerala held elections again in 38 local-government wards.
The elections were the first major test for the ruling UDF government after it took office.
Reports disagreed about the exact final totals.
One report said the UDF won 19 wards and the LDF won 18, while another cited Election Commission figures showing 18 UDF wins and 16 LDF wins.
The reports also differed over whether one seat went to Twenty20, the NDA, or independent candidates.
The LDF gained several wards in places including Kottayam, Palakkad, Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram.
The UDF did well in Pathanamthitta but won some seats by much smaller margins than before.
About 59 out of every 100 voters participated, and opposition criticism may have influenced the results.
The Congress-led UDF won either 19 or 18 of 38 wards, according to conflicting reports.
The LDF was reported to have won either 18 or 16 wards, while other accounts gave one seat to Twenty20 or the NDA and three to independents.
The LDF reportedly wrested around seven wards from the UDF, including seats in Kottayam, Palakkad, Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram.
The UDF retained all contested wards in Pathanamthitta but suffered narrower victory margins in Kozhikode and Wayanad.
Turnout was 58.81 percent, with 1,82,160 of 3,09,713 registered voters casting ballots across 12 districts.
- Who
- The Congress-led United Democratic Front, the CPI(M)-headed Left Democratic Front, and other parties and independent candidates contested the bypolls.
- What
- Local-body bypolls were held for 38 wards, with conflicting reports on the exact party-wise results but a reported setback for the UDF.
- When
- The bypolls were held on Monday, September 29, about four months after the UDF government took office.
- Where
- The elections covered 38 wards in 12 Kerala districts; Kollam and Alappuzha were excluded.
- Why
- The bypolls filled local-body vacancies and served as an early electoral test of the new UDF government.
LDF Criticism and Gains
UDF Defense and Performance
Meaning of the results
LDF Criticism and Gains
The LDF’s gains were presented as evidence that criticism of the UDF government over power cuts, ministers’ foreign trips, delayed flood relief and medicine shortages may have influenced voters.
UDF Defense and Performance
The UDF remained the largest reported bloc in one account, winning 19 of 38 wards, and secured all wards contested in Pathanamthitta.
Reasons for UDF losses
LDF Criticism and Gains
The results were described as a setback for the UDF four months after it came to power, with the LDF taking several sitting UDF seats.
UDF Defense and Performance
Reports also attributed some losses, including those in the Chirayinkeezhu area, to a local dispute involving Congress MLA Ramya Haridas and party workers rather than solely to statewide issues.
Regional performance
LDF Criticism and Gains
The LDF performed strongly in Kottayam and Palakkad and made gains in Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram.
UDF Defense and Performance
The UDF performed more strongly in Idukki, Thrissur and Pathanamthitta, while retaining wards such as Kuttichira, although some margins narrowed sharply.
- Wards contested
- 38 local-body wards
- Reported UDF result
- 19 wards in one report; 18 according to State Election Commission figures cited by another
- Reported LDF result
- 18 wards in one report; 16 according to State Election Commission figures cited by another
- Other reported winners
- One Twenty20 seat in one report; one NDA seat and three independent victories in another
- Turnout
- 58.81 percent
- Votes cast
- 1,82,160, including 84,070 men and 98,090 women
- Registered voters
- 3,09,713, including 1,64,241 women, 1,45,468 men and four transgender voters
