Shashi Tharoor, a senior Congress leader and MP from Thiruvananthapuram, said he is confident the United Democratic Front (UDF) will win the Kerala Assembly election.
The outcome of this election determines the governance of one of India's most politically active states. A UDF victory would signal a significant shift in power away from the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) amid reports of widespread voter dissatisfaction.
Tharoor attributed the expected success to strong anti-incumbency against the LDF. He also noted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not become a decisive factor in the state's political calculations. "There is no BJP factor in Kerala," Tharoor said [3].
While some exit polls have suggested an edge for the UDF, Tharoor remained cautious about relying on such projections. He said, "Exit polls in our country have lots of problems. I don't want to particularly rely on them" [1]. Despite this caution, he indicated that the results would be apparent early in the day of the count.
This optimism is not new for the Congress leader. In an interview on April 7, 2026 [2], Tharoor said, "We are confident of a decisive UDF victory in Kerala" [2].
The state now awaits the official verdict, which is expected on May 4, 2026 [4]. The final tally will confirm whether the anti-incumbency sentiment Tharoor described has translated into a mandate for the Congress-led coalition.
“"We are confident of a decisive UDF victory in Kerala."”
A UDF win would represent a successful consolidation of opposition votes against the Left Democratic Front. By dismissing the 'BJP factor,' Tharoor suggests that the election has remained a primary contest between the two larger coalitions, meaning the UDF's potential victory would rely on its ability to capitalize on anti-incumbency rather than a fragmented electorate.
