Thiruvananthapuram, 06 May (H.S.): The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) registered a modest increase in its vote share in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, according to preliminary estimates, even as the alliance fell short of its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The NDA’s overall vote share rose to 14.2 percent in the Assembly elections, up nearly two percentage points from the 12.41 percent it secured in the 2021 Assembly polls. However, the alliance witnessed a decline of 5.13 percentage points compared to the 19.26 percent vote share it achieved in the 2024 Parliamentary elections. In the recent local body elections, the NDA had secured 14.71 percent of the vote.

Despite winning only three seats in the Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to consolidate its presence in several constituencies across the state, with vote shares crossing 30 percent in multiple seats.

The highest BJP vote share was recorded in Nemom, where BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar emerged victorious. The party secured 40.75 percent of the votes in the constituency, reaffirming Nemom as one of the BJP’s strongest pockets in Kerala.

Another major NDA victory came in Chathannoor, where BJP candidate B. B. Gopakumar won by a margin of 4,012 votes. The BJP polled 38.04 percent votes in the constituency.

Manjeshwar, where former BJP state president K. Surendran contested, recorded the party’s third-highest vote share at 36.05 percent. However, the NDA finished second behind the UDF in the constituency.

The NDA’s third winning seat, Kazhakkoottam, saw former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan secure victory with the BJP polling 35.06 percent votes.

The BJP also crossed the 30 percent mark in Palakkad, where senior leader Shobha Surendran contested. The NDA secured 33.33 percent votes there.

Apart from Manjeshwar, the BJP finished second in Kasaragod, Palakkad, Thiruvalla, Attingal and Malampuzha constituencies, indicating an expanded footprint beyond its traditional urban strongholds.

Other constituencies where the BJP recorded notable vote shares include Kasaragod (31.74%), Attingal (30.54%), Thiruvalla (30.6%), Malampuzha (30.13%), Thiruvananthapuram (30.2%), Natika (29%), Vattiyoorkavu (29%), Kozhikode North (28.6%), Kattakkada (26.4%), Pala (26.4%), Kozhikode South (25.6%), Ottapalam (25.5%), Poonjar (25.3%), Nedumangad (25%) and Thrissur (23.4%).

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman