Counting for Kerala Assembly elections begins today at 8 AM. Congress MPs stay cautious on leadership debate.
Shashi Tharoor has been speculated as a potential candidate for Chief Ministerial face, as Kerala moves closer to the vote-counting day.
However, the Congress MP has avoided giving clear answers or statements on the matter of the potential CM’s face.
As exit polls project favourable outcomes for the opposition alliance.
Kerala polls overview
The election for the 140-member Assembly took place on April 9 in a single round of voting.
This election was basically fought between the ruling coalition, Left Democratic Front (LDF), and the United Democratic Front (UDF), headed by the Indian National Congress.
The government requires 71 seats as a majority mark to win.
Exit polls indicate UDF advantage
| Poll Agency | UDF Seats | LDF Seats | NDA Seats |
| Axis My India | 78–90 | 49–62 | 0–2 |
| Manorama C-Voter | Up to 94 | 44–56 | 0–2 |
These figures clearly picture the strength of the UDF side, as both major polls predict that the alliance would comfortably cross the majority mark – of 71 seats.
Although the LDF is expected to put up a good fight, chances are that the coalition would be unable to form a government.
The NDA is not likely to be much of a force either, despite having a chance of breaking even in the Assembly.
Leadership question remains open
While Tharoor has refrained from commenting directly on the chief minister’s post, the question of leadership within the Congress continues to attract attention.
P. V. Anwar referred to senior Congress leader K. C. Venugopal in the context of the CM race.
“While Anwar did mention Venugopal’s name as a potential chief ministerial candidate, he said that it will be upon the Congress party high command to decide who the “appropriate person to run the show” would be.”
Focus shifts to the counting day
With polling completed and projections indicating a possible shift in power, attention now turns to counting days to determine whether the exit poll trends translate into actual results.
If the UDF secures a majority, the focus will quickly move to leadership decisions within the Congress, an issue leaders have so far chosen to avoid addressing directly.
Also Read: Mamata Banerjee Calls Poll Numbers ‘Fake’, Says ‘Wait Till Sunset’ As BJP Leads: Details Inside
