Kerala Election 2026 Live Updates: Polling for 140 Assembly seats in Kerala concludes

Kerala Election 2026: Kerala is all set for a crucial assembly election on Thursday, with 2.71 crore voters poised to cast their franchise in a decisive contest that will test the ruling LDF's bid for a third consecutive term, the opposition UDF's comeback prospects, and the NDA's push to open its account in the state.After nearly a month of intense campaigning, the southern state will go to the polls in a single phase, with voting to be held from 7 am to 6 pm across all 140 constituencies where 883 candidates are in the fray.The electorate comprises 1.32 crore men, 1.39 crore women and 273 transgender persons, along with over 2.42 lakh overseas voters, underlining the scale of the electoral exercise, according to Election Commission figures.The contest, though triangular, is rooted in Kerala's traditionally bipolar political landscape, where power has largely alternated between the LDF and the UDF.The outcome of this election will indicate whether that pattern holds or if the state is headed towards a shift.