Kerala Election Results Today; LDF Confident of Historic Hat-trick as Counting Begins at 8

Thiruvananthapuram: The long wait ends today as vote counting for Kerala's 140 assembly constituencies begins at 8 am across 43 centres statewide. Chief Electoral Officer Rattan U. Khelkar has said official results will be declared by around 5 pm. Strong rooms will be opened at 7 am in the presence of candidates or their agents, with full video documentation. Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by EVM counting from around 8.30 am. First trends are expected by 9 am.

A total of 15,465 officials will oversee the count, including 140 Returning Officers and 4,208 micro-observers, with 32,301 security personnel including CRPF and Kerala Police battalions deployed at counting centres. Kerala recorded a voter turnout of 79.63 per cent, and 20,028 postal ballots have been received until May 1.

LDF Eyes Historic Hat-trick

The LDF enters counting day with confidence, having won 91 seats in 2016 and 99 in 2021. The front cites its record on corruption-free governance, law and order, minority and women's welfare, KSRTC's turnaround, and the Mundakkai rehabilitation as factors in its favour. The UDF, meanwhile, heads into results day hampered by its pre-result CM race, candidate disputes, and the Wayanad fund controversy, with political observers noting that Congress went into the campaign on the back foot on multiple fronts.

Four Other States Also Counting Today

Results will also be declared today for West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry. In West Bengal, counting will cover 293 of 294 seats — with a repoll scheduled on May 21 in Faltai constituency in South 24 Parganas due to widespread violence and malpractice. The state recorded a remarkable 92.47 per cent turnout across two phases. Tamil Nadu recorded 85.1 per cent turnout across 234 seats, with the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance expected to retain power. Exit polls predict BJP will return to power in Assam under Himanta Biswa Sarma across 126 seats, and the NDA-aligned All India NR Congress is forecast to retain Puducherry's 30-seat assembly. By-election results from eight constituencies across Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland, and Tripura will also be declared today.