In the 2026 Kerala assembly elections, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) faced a significant defeat overall, but Thrissur district emerged as a silver lining. The LDF won nine out of 13 seats in Thrissur, while the United Democratic Front (UDF) secured the remaining four, including the prestigious Thrissur constituency.
Thrissur District Results
The LDF retained Chelakkara, Wadakkanchery, Kunnamkulam, Guruvayur, Manalur, Nattika, Kaipamangalam, Puthukkad, and Ollur. The UDF had to settle for Thrissur, Kodungallur, Irinjalakkuda, and Chalakkudy. Despite Thrissur being the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) lone Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, the party failed to win any assembly seat in the district. In a closely watched Thrissur assembly segment, former Thrissur mayor Rajan Pallan of the LDF defeated BJP's Padmaja Venugopal by a margin of 26,803 votes.
Several prominent leaders and former ministers contested in Thrissur. Revenue Minister K Rajan won in Ollur by 8,884 votes, and former local self-government minister A C Moideen secured Kunnamkulam by 4,563 votes. However, Higher Education and Social Justice Minister R Bindu suffered a major setback in Irinjalakkuda, losing to UDF's Thomas Unniyadan by 10,212 votes.
In Nattika, which witnessed political drama after former CPI leader and MLA C C Mukundan joined the BJP, the seat remained with the LDF. CPI's Geetha Gopi registered her fourth straight victory, winning by 7,093 votes. In a closely fought contest in Manalur, LDF's C Raveendranath won by just 126 votes over UDF's T N Prathapan. In Guruvayur, CPM's N K Akbar defeated IUML's C H Rasheed by 1,998 votes, with NDA's B Gopalakrishnan finishing third.
UDF Sweeps Ernakulam
The UDF swept all 14 seats in its stronghold of Ernakulam, continuing its dominant performance from the 2024 general elections and the 2025 local body polls. The most significant win was in Kalamassery, where the IUML regained the seat with V E Abdul Gafoor defeating incumbent Industries Minister P Rajeeve of the CPM by 16,312 votes.
UDF also achieved comfortable wins in constituencies where LDF had anticipated strong fights. Tony Chammany won in Vypeen by 15,648 votes, while in Kochi, DCC president Mohammed Shiyas won by 8,188 votes. Despite the retirement of veteran Congress leader and long-time MLA K Babu, Deepak Joy secured the Tripunithura seat by a substantial 18,456 votes.
Notable victory margins included Thrikkakara (Uma Thomas, 50,211 votes), Piravom (Anoop Jacob, 44,681), Muvattupuzha (Mathew Kuzhalnadan, 42,829), Angamaly (Roji M John, 37,008), Ernakulam (T J Vinod, 36,163), Aluva (Anwar Sadath, 29,143), Perumbavur (Manoj Moothedan, 28,434), Kunnathunad (V P Sajeendran, 21,283), North Paravur (V D Satheesan, 20,600), and Kothamangalam (Shibu Theckumpuram, 16,859).
UDF has been building momentum since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when incumbent MP Hibi Eden secured a massive mandate with 52.97% of the vote share. Its strength was further validated during the December 2025 local body elections. While LDF historically performs well in rural pockets, UDF emerged as the dominant force in urban centers, seizing control of 10 out of 13 municipalities (up from eight in 2020) and the Kochi corporation.
Several socio-political factors contributed to UDF's sustained dominance in Ernakulam. The district's large middle class and professional population perceive UDF as more business-friendly compared to LDF. Additionally, the significant Christian and Muslim populations in the district have traditionally supported the UDF to further their interests and representative politics. Another reason is the robust organizational machinery of the Congress party in the district, unlike many other regions in the state.
Congress-led Front Sweeps Idukki
After nearly three and a half decades, the UDF won five seats in Idukki, with the Congress prevailing in four. Notably, the Congress did not have an MLA in the district for 20 years. In a major upset, Minister Roshy Augustine lost the Idukki seat by 23,822 votes to Congress's Roy K Paulose. In Udumbanchola, a CPM stronghold for 25 years, state secretariat member K K Jayachandran lost to Congress's Senapathy Venu by 20,021 votes.
In Thodupuzha, Kerala Congress chairman P J Joseph's son, Apu John Joseph, secured a historic victory by 44,291 votes—the highest in the district—defeating Syriac Chazhikadan of Kerala Congress (M). In Devikulam, another CPM bastion, sitting MLA A Raja lost to Congress's F Raja by 5,233 votes. In Peermade, Congress's Syriac Thomas defeated CPI district secretary K Salim Kumar by 27,634 votes.
