The 2026 Kerala Assembly elections have begun to yield results, with a multi-cornered contest in all 140 seats.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is vying for a rare third term in a row, while the United Democratic Front (UDF) hopes to capitalize on anti-incumbency.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is focusing on specific pockets, turning the contest into a complex, triangular fight.
With 140 counting centers across 43 locations, 15,464 personnel have been deployed for the exercise, including 140 returning officers and 4,208 micro observers.
The strong rooms containing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPAT units have been opened, and postal ballots, accounting for 1.36% of total votes, have been counted first.
A broad picture of the election outcome is expected by the afternoon, with votes polled in EVMs from 14 polling stations counted in each round.
Election Commission officials will count VVPAT slips in cases of discrepancies between booth votes and EVM figures.
Initial results show Sulthanbathery's lead candidate as I C BALAKRISHNAN (INC) with 41,684 votes.
