Day after verdict, rival camps in Cong lobby for Kerala chief minister chair

Riding a massive anti-incumbency wave, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)returned to power in Kerala on May 4, ending 10 years of its being in the political wilderness.

After an unprecedented defeat in 2021, the alliance worked systematically for a comeback, winning four bye-elections, the general election in 2024 and the civic-body polls last year before storming back into the State Assembly through deft electioneering and collective effort that sought to capitalise on surging resentment against the functioning of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan.

The BJP reopened its account, securing three seats, finishing second in six and clinching a substantial share of votes in pockets in north, central and south Kerala, redrawing the electoral landscape. Its low vote share notwithstanding, the party is doubtless growing, albeit incrementally.