Thiruvananthapuram, 04 May (H.S.): In a significant early development in the Kerala Assembly election results, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has slipped behind in the Dharmadam constituency, long considered a stronghold of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), as counting approached the one-and-a-half-hour mark on Monday.
Vijayan, who had initially taken the lead in the first two rounds of counting, was overtaken in the third round by United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate V P Abdul Rasheed. The turnaround came during the counting of votes from Chembilode panchayat, where Rasheed surged ahead, establishing a lead of 733 votes over the Chief Minister.
The early reversal marks a sharp contrast to the 2021 Assembly elections, when Vijayan had secured victory from Dharmadam with a comfortable margin of over 3,500 votes.
The initial trends across the state indicate a challenging start for the ruling LDF, with several key ministers trailing in their respective constituencies. Among those reportedly behind are V.N. Vasavan, Veena George, M.B. Rajesh, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, Ramachandran Kadannappally, Chinchu Rani, Roshy Augustine, R. Bindu, V. Sivankutty, and P. Prasad.
In contrast, prominent leaders of the Congress-led UDF are leading in multiple constituencies as early counting trends emerge. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has also made early inroads, opening its account in several seats soon after counting began.
With postal ballots counted first and Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) rounds progressing steadily, the early trends suggest a highly competitive electoral battle in Kerala, with shifting leads and unexpected setbacks for key players.
As counting continues across the state’s 140 constituencies, all eyes remain on whether the LDF can recover from the early setbacks or if the UDF and NDA can consolidate their gains.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
