Thiruvananthapuram | The Congress secured the highest vote share among political parties in Kerala in the 2025 local body elections with 29.17 per cent, according to data released by the State Election Commission on Monday.
As per the data, a total of 5,49,36,396 votes were polled in the elections.
The Congress polled 1,60,24,802 votes, while the CPI(M) secured 1,49,22,193 votes, accounting for 27.16 per cent of the total vote share.
The BJP, which emerged as the party with the highest seat tally in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, polled 81,08,137 votes across the state, translating to a vote share of 14.76 per cent.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the second-largest constituent of the UDF, secured 53,69,745 votes (9.77 per cent), while the CPI, a key ally of the LDF, polled 30,66,476 votes (5.58 per cent).
Independents, including those backed by major political parties, received 31,67,381 votes (5.77 per cent), marginally higher than the CPI’s vote count.
The BJP recorded its highest district-wise vote share in Thiruvananthapuram at 23.08 per cent.
The Congress crossed the 30 per cent vote share mark in eight districts between Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur, while the CPI(M) achieved this only in two districts — Palakkad (33.93 per cent) and Kannur (38.82 per cent).
The Congress-led UDF secured control of four of the six municipal corporations and seven of the 14 district panchayats in the state.
Kannur (Kerala) | The BJP in Kerala said on Monday that it had achieved a significant victory in the recent local body elections by defeating the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-headed UDF, an alliance which could form part of a broader national INDIA bloc in the future.
The saffron party accused the ruling CPI(M) and the UDF of joining hands in various wards across the state to defeat them. However, the civic poll results proved that a third-party alternative is relevant in the state, senior BJP leader M T Ramesh said here after a state leadership meeting of the party, which reviewed the election results.
He said it is true that as a major opposition front, the UDF had largely benefited from the strong anti-incumbency wave against the LDF in the civic polls.
Even in such circumstances, it has been proved that a political alternative is relevant in Kerala against both these fronts, the leader explained.
"That's why the BJP could make significant achievements throughout the state from Kasaragod to Thiruvanthapuram. The BJP-NDA could even penetrate into the traditional strongholds of both the CPI(M) and the Congress," Ramesh claimed.
The BJP could even wrest panchayats that had been ruled by the CPI(M) for decades in some areas, he claimed.
The leader further said, as per the reports they received, the CPI(M) and the Congress have joined hands in over 3,000 wards, including in panchayats and municipalities, to keep the BJP-NDA away from power.
Ramesh particularly mentioned the example of Pandalam Municipality and some wards in Kasaragod.
"So, the BJP has made this significant achievement in the civic polls by overcoming the challenges posed by a possible INDI Alliance to be formed in the state in the future," he alleged.
He also urged the LDF and the UDF to accept the people's verdict in those civic bodies where the BJP has become the single majority party.
The party is mulling to ensure power in such civic bodies based on majority, the leader added.
The local body elections in Kerala saw major gains for the UDF, which won four of the six municipal corporations, while the LDF retained Kozhikode and the BJP-led NDA captured the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
The UDF also won seven of the 14 district panchayats in the state, with the LDF securing the remaining seven.