Kayamkulam election results 2026: UDF’s M. Liju defeats LDF's U. Prathibha by 15,572 votes

NEW DELHI: In Kerala’s Kayamkulam, UFD’s M. Liju emerged as the winner, defeating LDF’s U. Prathibha by 15,572 votes. M. Liju received 76,651 votes, while U.Pratibha secured 61,079 votes. There were a total of 200201 registered voters on the electoral rolls for the 2026 Assembly election in Kayamkulam Assembly constituency, of whom 95598 were male, 104601 female and 2 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.Kayamkulam Assembly constituency, numbered 108, lies in Alappuzha district of Kerala under the Alappuzha parliamentary constituency. Established in 1957 and refined in the 2008 delimitation, it covers Kayamkulam Municipality, panchayats like Oachira, Thazhava, and coastal-riverine zones along the Kayamkulam Kayal and TS Canal, with around 213,000 electors. This general seat blends paddy-coconut farming, fishing hamlets, coir industries, salt pans, small-scale trade, and temple tourism at Oachira Parabrahma temple, fostering rural vibrancy amid backwaters, canals, and seasonal festivals in Kerala's lowland heart.CPI(M) of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) dominates since 2016, with Adv. U. Prathibha as current MLA. In 2021, she won with 77,874 votes (47.97 per cent), defeating Congress's Ajikumar P. (71,576 votes) by 6,298 votes (3.88 per cent) at 75.47 per cent turnout — narrowly holding after 2016's 11,857-vote margin over UDF. LDF's farmer-fisher-labor base consistently edges UDF's traditional sway and BJP/BDJS's 12-13 per cent migrant support.Key issues include monsoon flooding submerging farmlands, saline intrusion harming paddy yields, coastal erosion, fish depletion from pollution, coir worker unemployment amid mechanization, youth migration, poor rural roads and drainage, waste in waterways, and demands for embankment repairs, irrigation modernization, seafood hubs, temple infrastructure, and climate-resilient crops. These agrarian-maritime challenges sustain tight LDF-UDF rivalries in this culturally dynamic coastal pocket.