Kozhikode South, Kunnamangalam, Perambra, and Thiruvambady emerge as bellwether constituencies in a reshaped three-way contest
Vote counting for Kerala’s 2026 Assembly elections began at 8 AM Monday, with all 140 seats delivering what analysts describe as the state’s most complex electoral battle in decades.
The ruling Left Democratic Front is pursuing a historically rare third consecutive term a feat Kerala’s pendulum politics has seldom allowed. Standing firmly in its path is the United Democratic Front, banking on anti-incumbency sentiment to engineer a comeback. Adding a new dimension entirely, the National Democratic Alliance is methodically expanding its footprint in carefully chosen constituencies, dismantling what was once a clean two-party rivalry.
Four Kozhikode-district seats – Kozhikode South, Kunnamangalam, Perambra, and Thiruvambady are being closely watched as indicators of shifting ground-level sentiment.
The counting machinery is formidable: 15,464 personnel deployed across 140 centres at 43 locations, overseeing EVMs from up to 14 polling stations per counting round. Postal ballots comprising 1.36% of total votes were processed first. A clear outcome picture is expected by afternoon.
Strong rooms were opened under strict observer supervision, with VVPAT slips reserved for resolving EVM discrepancies.
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