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CPI(M) gets lowest number of seats since 2001
In 2026, the CPI(M) entered the election fray in Kerala with the hopes of leading the LDF to a third term in government. Its campaign slogan exuded confidence, asking voters, “Who else if not LDF?” But when votes were counted on May 4, the party managed to win only 26 seats. The Left front won 35 seats, while the Congress-led UDF secured 102 seats. The CPI(M)’s setback is significant — it retained just a little over one-third of the 62 seats it had won in 2021. The seats it lost this time also include those where sitting ministers contested. When counting began on May 4 morning, news channels had reported how several ministers were facing a tough fight. By afternoon, more than 14 of the LDF government’s ministers were faced with certain loss, with anchors in news channels commenting that it would be far easier to keep a tally of the few ministers who managed to win.Outgoing minister Mohammad Riyaz, who won from Beypore, said, “I thank the voters in Beypore for voting for CPI(M) amidst the general [anti-LDF] trend.”Even chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan hardly scraped through, with Congress’ VP Abdul Rasheed having held the vote lead till the sixth round of counting. Despite the outgoing chief minister managing to win from Dharmadam, the party’s resounding defeat is in many ways his defeat too. Much ahead of the elections, Pinarayi had been positioned as the face of the CPI(M) and the LDF as a whole, with large flex boards carrying just his face lining the streets of Kerala. In 2011, when the party last occupied the opposition benches in the Kerala Assembly, CPI(M) had 45 MLAs. A decade before that, in 2001, the party had secured 23 seats.What is noteworthy in 2026 is how the CPI(M) has been routed in its traditional strongholds too. In Payyannur, expelled CPI(M) leader V Kunhikrishnan won with a margin of over 7,000 votes. He had contested as an independent candidate with UDF backing.Seats won in Kerala Assembly Elections Speaking to the media on May 4 afternoon, CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan said, “We will look into all aspects of the people’s verdict and make the necessary corrections as we go forward.” Govindan assessed the loss in CPI(M) strongholds and the tough fight in Dharmadam as part of the general fall in votes the party faced across the state, adding that these issues too will be studied in depth.
IN 2026, the CPI(M) entered the election fray in Kerala with the hopes of leading the LDF to a third term in government. Its campaign slogan exuded confidence, asking voters, “Who else if not LDF?”
But when votes were counted on May 4, the party managed to win only 26 seats. The Left Front won 35 seats, while the Congress-led UDF secured 102 seats. The CPI(M)’s setback is significant — it retained just a little over one-third of the 62 seats it had won in 2021.
The seats it lost this time also include those where sitting ministers contested. When counting began on the morning of May 4, news channels had reported how several ministers were facing a tough fight. By afternoon, more than 14 of the LDF government’s ministers were faced with certain loss, with anchors in news channels commenting that it would be far easier to keep a tally of the few ministers who managed to win.
Outgoing minister Mohammad Riyaz, who won from Beypore, said, “I thank the voters in Beypore for voting for CPI(M) amidst the general [anti-LDF] trend.”
Even Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hardly scraped through, with Congress’s VP Abdul Rasheed having held the vote lead till the sixth round of counting.
Despite the outgoing chief minister managing to win from Dharmadam, the party’s resounding defeat is, in many ways, his defeat too. Much ahead of the elections, Pinarayi had been positioned as the face of the CPI(M) and the LDF as a whole, with large flex boards carrying just his face lining the streets of Kerala.
In 2011, when the party last occupied the opposition benches in the Kerala Assembly, CPI(M) had 45 MLAs. A decade earlier, in 1991, the party had secured 23 seats.
What is noteworthy in 2026 is how the CPI(M) has been routed in its traditional strongholds, too. In Payyannur, expelled CPI(M) leader V Kunhikrishnan won with a margin of over 7,000 votes. He had contested as an independent candidate with UDF backing.
Speaking to the media on May 4 afternoon, CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan said, “We will look into all aspects of the people’s verdict and make the necessary corrections as we go forward.” Govindan assessed the loss in CPI(M) strongholds and the tough fight in Dharmadam as part of the general fall in votes the party faced across the state, adding that these issues, too, will be studied in depth.
