Trailing in all 12 contested seats; Kerala Congress (M) faces total collapse

Kochi: As the Kerala Legislative Assembly election results emerge, Kerala Congress (M) has suffered a massive setback. The party is trailing in all 12 seats it contested, including its traditional strongholds. With a powerful anti-incumbency sentiment sweeping the state and a visible UDF wave, Kerala Congress (M) has become the most prominent victim of the electoral shift.

In Pala, widely regarded as the heartland of Kerala Congress politics, party chairman Jose K Mani is currently trailing. The party's second-in-command, Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine, is also behind in Idukki. In Kanjirappally, Congress candidate Rony K Baby holds a lead of approximately 3,000 votes over senior leader N Jayaraj. Sebastian Kulathunkal is also trailing by more than 3,000 votes in Poonjar.

Following a dispute with P J Joseph, Kerala Congress (M) left the UDF to join the LDF, subsequently securing major gains for the Left front in the Kottayam district during the 2021 Assembly elections and the 2020 local body polls. In 2021, the party won five of the 12 seats it contested, matching its 2016 tally when it was part of the UDF.

This remains a grueling situation for Jose K Mani and his party, especially after he reaffirmed their commitment to the Left alliance amidst rumours of a front-switch before the election announcement. Conversely, the Kerala Congress (Joseph) faction is currently leading in seven seats.