The real winner of the 2026 Kerala election is democracy itself.

For weeks, the election was projected as a neck-and-neck battle. Pre-poll surveys, exit polls and even AI-driven voter analyses failed to capture what Malayalis were actually thinking inside polling booths. Some predicted a narrow UDF victory. Others, including sections of the political establishment, expected a third consecutive term for the LDF led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Silent prayers won’t stop decibel devotees

Delhi Police arrest fifth accused in IYC ‘shirtless’ protest at AI Summit

Sabarimala gold scam: VACB records statements of sponsors, celebrities; Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi next

The blurred background of Kerala’s scandals

Instead, Kerala delivered a political shock. The LDF was reduced to 35 seats while the Congress-led UDF crossed the 100-mark in the 140-seat Assembly. At a time when democratic systems across the world increasingly appear jaded, polarised and vulnerable to manipulation through political tactics and social media narratives, Kerala’s verdict stands out as an example of collective public wisdom cutting through the noise.

The one leader who consistently predicted a landslide outcome was Congress leader V.D. Satheesan. His “100-plus seats” claim was widely mocked as campaign-season exaggeration. Today, that prediction has become political capital. Satheesan now has both the mandate and the credibility to shape Kerala’s next phase.

The scale of the Congress victory also changes the internal power equations within the UDF. With the Congress itself bagging 63 seats, the Muslim League’s bargaining power, with 22 seats, is reduced compared to previous coalition governments where narrower margins made allies indispensable.

But Kerala politics rarely stays stable for long. If factional rivalries within the Congress intensify over cabinet positions, leadership ambitions and regional influence, smaller allies could once again regain leverage by aligning with competing camps inside the party.

But what is more important question is what comes next for Kerala.

Across WhatsApp groups, tea shops and apartment discussions, one concern is already surfacing repeatedly. After being out of power for a decade, will the UDF return with a sense of revenge – not ideological revenge, but the urge to regain access to power, contracts and influence?

Kerala’s biggest development projects are now linked to investments running into lakhs of crores of rupees.........

© Mathrubhumi English