Kerala Assembly Election 2021: Everything you need to know

The south Indian state of Kerala will go to polls on April 6 and the votes will be counted on May 2. There are a total of 14 districts in the state, consisting of 140 assembly constituencies, all of which will be casting their franchise on the same date. 

The elections this year, like the previous years, will be majorly fought between United Democratic Front (UDF) and Left Democratic Front (LDF). However, this year, the National Democratic Alliance is also in the fray.

LDF is an alliance which is led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). It also comprises parties such as the Communist Party of India, Janata Dal, KC (M), Congress Secular, Indian National League, and Lokthantrik Janatha Dal. LDF is the current ruling coalition in the state. 

UDF, on the other hand, is led by Indian National Congress, and comprises the Indian Union of Muslim League, Kerala Congress (Joseph) group, Kerala Congress Jacob group, and Revolutionary socialist party (RSP). 

The UDF suffered a blow following the death of Kerala Congress founder KM Mani in 2019. The party, which was one of UDF’s most prominent allies, split into two and the party founder’s son Jose K Mani’s fraction joined the LDF, which, on the other hand, lost its ally, Mani C Kappan’s Nationalist Congress Kerala to UDF. 

As the D-Day approaches, here are a few things you should know about this year’s elections – 

Important dates – 

The last date for filing nominations in the state is March 19 and March 22 is the last date to withdraw nominations. Elections will take place in one phase on April 6 and the counting will be on May 2, 2021. 

Important stats – 

Total number of seats in the state – 140

Total number of voters-  2.63 crore

Total number of first-time voters – 3 lakh

Total number of women voters – 1.37 crore 

In 2016, the LDF secured 91 out of 140 seats while the UDF could get only 47 seats. With the victory of O Rajagopal from Nemom constituency, NDA was able to open its account. 

Key candidates – 

E Sreedharan – ‘Metro Man’ E Seeradharan, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in February, will be contesting from Palakkad against Youth Congress leader Shafi Parambil. With 30 % Muslim voters in the constituency, it will be interesting to see if the preferred BJP CM face would be able to make a mark. 

Kummanam Rajasekharan – The former Mizoram governor and senior BJP leader will be battling for Nemom against INC’s K Muraleedharan and CPI(M) candidate V Sivankutty. Nemom, which is in Thiruvananthapuram district, was the only seat BJP won last time. 

Suresh Gopi – The actor and Rajya sabha MP will be contesting from Thrissur against Congress’s Padmaja Venugopal, the daughter of former Congress stalwart K Karunakaran . With “hero worship” not very prominent in the state, it will be fascinating to see if the popular actor can convert fans’ admiration for him into votes. 

Are elections unpredictable in Kerala – 

The state has largely alternated between LDF and UDF, however, this year, pre-poll surveys gave the LDF the edge. And if it turns out to be true, LDF will create history by returning to power for the second term.