Aroor election results 2026: INC's ADV Shanimol Osman wins with 74469 votes against Daleema of Communist Party of India (Marxist)

NEW DELHI: ADV Shanimol Osman of INC wins in Aroor constituency with 74,469 votes. Her rival, Daleema of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), lost the high-stakes battle by a margin of 9,324 votes.There were a total of 189947 registered voters on the electoral rolls for the 2026 Assembly election in Aroor Assembly constituency, of whom 93167 were male, 96780 female and 0 belonged to the third gender.Exit polls released for the high-stakes Kerala battle indicate a competitive contest, with the incumbent LDF government seeking a third consecutive term amid a strong challenge from the UDF.Aroor Assembly constituency, numbered 102, is located in Alappuzha district of Kerala and falls under the Alappuzha parliamentary constituency. Established in 1957 and redefined in the 2008 delimitation, it covers Aroor Municipality, panchayats like Aryad, Cherthala, and coastal villages along the Vembanad backwaters, with around 200,000 electors. This general seat thrives on fishing communities, coir industries, prawn farming, salt production, and seafood trade, blending maritime livelihoods with semi-urban growth amid canals and lagoons near Kochi.CPI(M) of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) has dominated since 2016, with A.M. Ariff as current MLA. In 2021, he won decisively with 67,493 votes (48.85 per cent), defeating Congress's Dean Kuriakose (60,653 votes) by 6,840 votes (4.95 per cent) at 78.24 per cent turnout — reversing UDF's 2011 hold and extending LDF's labor-fisherfolk base after 2016's narrow 1,411-vote edge. CPI(M)'s organizational strength outpaces UDF surges and BJP's 6-8 per cent share.Key issues include coastal erosion threatening homes and farms, frequent flooding from backwaters and poor drainage, fish stock depletion amid overfishing and pollution, fisher welfare demands like better harbors and subsidies, unemployment in coir sector decline, waste management overload, road-waterlogging woes, and calls for seafood processing units, mangrove restoration, and climate-resilient infrastructure. These maritime challenges sustain LDF's edge in this vibrant coastal stronghold.