Boost for UDF, setback for LDF, Lotus blooms in state capital

NDA's win in Thiruvananthapuram watershed moment: PM

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In a significant electoral shift ahead of Kerala’s 2026 Assembly polls, the Congress-led United Democratic Front on Saturday scored a sweeping victory in the state’s local body elections.

The outcome dealt a major setback to the ruling Left Democratic Front while the Bharatiya Janata Party achieved a breakthrough in the capital by seizing control of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, a civic body held by the CPI(M) for 45 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the development as a “watershed moment” in the state’s political landscape and thanked party workers for what he described as “spectacular results”.

The day also saw remarks by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor gain wide attention. Responding to the unfolding trends, he said he had campaigned for an end to what he called 45 years of LDF “misrule,” yet the electorate had chosen a different force for change in his constituency. "That is the beauty of democracy. The people's verdict must be respected, whether for the UDF overall or for the BJP in my constituency,” he said.

A year after sending its first parliamentarian from Kerala to the Lok Sabha, the BJP made history by breaching the CPI(M)’s long-held bastion in the state capital. The party won 50 seats in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, just one short of a majority.