New Delhi, 04 May (H.S.): Early trends from the Assembly‑election vote counting across five states show a commanding lead for the Congress‑led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, triggering jubilation in the party’s national office in New Delhi. As the partial figures come in, Congress leaders have unanimously credited Rahul Gandhi with the alliance’s apparent turnaround in the southern state and the impending end of the Left‑Democratic‑Front’s (LDF) decade‑long rule.

At the Congress headquarters in Delhi, the mood is one of celebration. With KC Venugopal, the national general secretary (organisation), in attendance, senior leaders and workers cut a cake to mark the projected victory. The UDF’s lead in Kerala has already overshadowed the more grim or modest scenarios the party faces in the other four states, particularly in West Bengal, where Congress seems poised to remain a marginal force.

Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said the people of Kerala have reposed faith in the Congress‑led UDF and rejected the LDF, which has held power for ten years. “This victory belongs to the Congress, the UDF and Rahul Gandhi. If the same level of unity and struggle that we saw in Kerala is repeated across the country, no one will be able to defeat the Congress,” he added.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor blamed the LDF government for failing to generate employment over the past decade, which has forced many young Keralites to leave the state in search of work. “The people have clearly said they want change. The Congress will now work to bring back investments and focus on the welfare of Kerala,” Tharoor said.

Congress MP K. Suresh noted that the counting is still incomplete but stressed that the Congress‑led UDF has already crossed the 100‑seat mark. “The final round of counting is underway.

Afterwards, the UDF MLAs will meet in Thiruvananthapuram and consult with alliance partners. The next steps will be decided by the Congress high command,” he said.

Congress MP JB Mathew declared that the UDF had “completed a century” in terms of Assembly seats. “This is a gift from the people. Now we must remain accountable to the public and deliver on our promises. The people of Kerala have given a clear and stern message to the LDF,” he said.

In Panchkula, Haryana, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda remarked that the Congress was nowhere in Bengal, would remain in second place in Assam, but had truly worked hard and reaped the rewards in Kerala. His comments underline the party’s growing narrative that the Kerala performance is the heart of the Congress campaign in the 2026 Assembly polls, even as the party’s fortunes elsewhere remain mixed.

At the trend stage, the Election Commission has released the following leads in the major states.

West Bengal (293 seats)

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – 193 leads, 0 wins

All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) – 95 leads, 0 wins

Congress – 1 lead, 0 wins

Communist Party of India (Marxist) – 1 lead, 0 wins

Others – 2 leads, 0 wins

Tamil Nadu (234 seats)

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) – 105 leads, 0 wins

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) – 58 leads, 1 win

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) – 52 leads, 0 wins

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) – 4 leads, 0 wins

Congress – 3 leads, 1 win

Assam (126 seats)

BJP – 78 leads, 3 wins

Congress – 20 leads, 0 wins

Bodo Peoples’ Front – 9 leads, 1 win

Asom Gana Parishad – 9 leads, 0 wins

All India United Democratic Front – 2 leads, 0 wins

Kerala (140 seats)

Congress – 48 leads, 16 wins

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) – 20 leads, 2 wins

Kerala Congress (Joseph) – 5 leads, 2 wins

CPI – 5 leads, 3 wins

CPI(M) – 18 leads, 8 wins

Puducherry (30 seats)

All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) – 1 lead, 9 wins

BJP – 2 leads, 2 wins

DMK – 1 lead, 1 win

Congress – 0 leads, 1 win

Independents – 0 leads, 3 wins

These figures represent early trends only, and the final results are yet to be officially declared. Nevertheless, the combination of a clear UDF advantage in Kerala and a BJP edge in West Bengal points to a dramatic realignment of power in the forthcoming state governments.

In Delhi and across the Congress ecosystem, the message is clear: the Kerala wave is being framed as a comeback powered by Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, internal unity and anti‑incumbency sentiment against the LDF.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar