New Delhi: Kerala has delivered a decisive mandate in favour of the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by the Congress party, which has emerged the single largest party with 63 seats, supported by allies including the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) with 22.The Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which had been in power for two consecutive terms, has been reduced to 26 seats (from 62 in 2021). The Communist Party of India has won 8 seats, nearly half its 2021 tally. Along with smaller allies, the LDF falls well short of the tally required to form government in the 140-seat assembly. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has resigned.The result ends Left rule in Kerala and leaves the communist parties without power in any state for the first time since 1957.The central question going into the election was whether voters would reward the LDF’s record in government or whether the UDF could translate the simmering dissatisfaction of voters into a decisive shift in its favour.Within Kerala, the chief minister was seen as a leader who could steer the CPI(M) even as the BJP’s presence appeared to grow in parts of the state. Over his ten-year tenure, however, the distinction between party and leadership increasingly narrowed. Meanwhile, the issues of voters around him shifted to jobs, the war in West Asia, state indebtedness, relations with the Union government and the desire for change after ten successive years of the LDF in power.Shot in the arm for CongressThe focus in Kerala now shifts decisively to the Congress, which will have to choose a chief minister after deciding against naming a face during the campaign. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is expected to play a central role in the decision, though the MLAs will be expected to pick a favourite.Several names are in contention, including MLA V.D. Satheesan, who has been leader of the opposition since 2021 and contested from Parvur, K.C. Venugopal, Member of the Lok Sabha, and Ramesh Chennithala, a veteran of the Congress party and former state home minister.Venugopal remains a key organisational figure with strong links to the central leadership, while K. Muralidharan – he contested from the Vattiyoorkavu seat – could emerge as a dark horse despite not holding a central position in the Congress state unit.Pinarayi Vijayan’s ten years in powerThere were repeated allegations of corruption against members of the LDF government, including a so-called gold theft case, while Vijayan’s perceived proximity to Vellappally Natesan, who has made remarks against Muslims that drew criticism, also became a point of political attack, including from within the LDF.At the same time, Kerala’s development record cannot be overlooked. The state has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the country at 5 per 1,000 live births, alongside high social sector spending and a steady rise in per capita income over the past decade. Vijayan also led the state through multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, two massive landslides and two major floods, one of which preceded the LDF’s return to power in 2021.One telling statement the chief minister made perhaps captures the narrative in the state best: “These hands are clean,” he said at a public rally. What also affected the CPI(M) was that some candidates this time, including V. Kunjikrishnan, expelled under a shadow of allegations, G. Sudhakaran, who quit after decades in the party citing neglect, and T.K. Govindan, were contesting against the party – and won. The CPI(M) lost the Payyannur Assembly seat for the first time since the constituency was formed in 1967.The question repeatedly arose in the state: Is Vijayan powerful or authoritarian? And if it was the latter, would voters still turn to one seen as able to deliver?The battle on the groundIn a sign of the scale of the verdict, the Congress has reclaimed the Poonjar seat after 59 years. UDF candidate Sebastian M.J. won with 56,900 votes, defeating sitting MLA Sebastian Kulathunkal of Kerala Congress (M) by 6,693 votes. (The BJP candidate P.C. George finished third with 36,172 on this seat.) The result shows a sharp rise in the Congress vote compared to the previous election.Vijayan retained Dharmadam, winning by 19,247 votes against Congress’ Abdul Rasheed.Across key constituencies, the results reflect the UDF’s gains. In Kollam, located in a traditionally Left-leaning belt, Congress candidate Bindhu Krishna won by 16,830 votes. Kannur saw T.O. Mohanan of the Congress win by 18,551 votes. Kannur’s loss is a blow for the CPI(M), for it was a core stronghold, tied to the party’s cadre base and political identity (as anti-Right). It is also Vijayan’s home base, making the loss signal deeper issues in organisation.Kozhikode North was closely contested, with Congress winning by 1,483 votes. Kozhikode South went to the IUML by 10,795 votes.In Palakkad, Congress candidate Ramesh Pisharody defeated BJP’s Sobha Surendran by 13,147 votes. This central Kerala seat gains relevance since the BJP is competitive here, and may have swung its way too. Kasaragod saw IUML’s Kallatra Mahin win by 22,698 votes. In Thrithala, Congress leader V.T. Balram defeated CPI(M)’s M.B. Rajesh by 8,385 votes.The defeat of M.B. Rajesh, a minister in the outgoing LDF government – of local self-government, a key LDF assurance being decentralised governance – highlights the extent of the setback for the front.BJP’s performanceAnother factor in the election was how the BJP would perform. The BJP has won three seats: Nemom, Chathannoor and Kazhakootam. Its vote share stands at 11.82% as of 8:33 PM. In the 2021 Kerala assembly elections, the party had secured 11.30% of the vote share, an increase of a small 0.77 percentage points this year. It had then contested 113 seats but did not win any, losing its sole seat in the state.The BJP has done well by its own standards, though the result does not match the narrative and visibility it generated. The contest in Kerala remained bipolar, along the two well established alliances.But as the election concludes, the focus will shift beyond Kerala to the national picture emerging in coming months. While the Congress has received a much-needed shot in the arm in Kerala, other INDIA alliance parties such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu and the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal have lost power. The alliance now faces the task of searching for a new identity.