Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan successfully maintained his Dharmadom seat in Kannur, despite facing a considerable setback for his Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the Kerala Assembly elections 2026, with results announced on Monday, May 4.
Vijayan won by a margin of 19,247 votes against Congress candidate VP Abdul Rasheed, according to the Election Commission data.
The chief minister received 85,614 votes, while Rasheed managed to secure 66,367 votes in a tightly contested race.
This victory marks Vijayan’s third consecutive win from the Dharmadom constituency, highlighting his personal influence over the seat, even amidst a difficult electoral landscape for his coalition.
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Mounting suspense
Vijayan had been trailing in the constituency until the sixth round of counting, introducing a sense of uncertainty in what is usually seen as a secure seat for the LDF.
Dharmadom has historically been viewed as a bastion of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). However, the slender margin compared to previous elections made this contest particularly notable.
In the Kerala Assembly elections 2021, Vijayan had won the seat by a significantly larger margin of over 45,000 votes.
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