"Hopeful of verdict in favour of NDA": BJP Kazhakkoottam candidate V Muraleedharan ahead of Keralam vote counting

Speaking to ANI here, Muraleedharan added that the BJP presented before the people the need for a change and presented the 12 years of PM Modi's government. He expressed hope that a poll verdict would come in favour of the double-engine government.

"In the elections to the Keralam Assembly, the BJP presented before the people the need for a change and presenting the 12 years of PM Narendra Modi's Govt, the politics of performance at the national level and compared to the 10 years of the Left Govt now and the earlier years the alternate terms that both Govts had, and the situation of Keralam. So, I am sure that people will understand the situation and take a positive view of the need for a Kerala that is developed along with the rest of the country," he told reporters.

He also added, "I am hopeful that there will be a positive approach taken by the people and a verdict in favour of the NDA-BJP."

Muraleedharan faces off against CPI(M)'s Kadakampally Surendran, and the Congress has fielded advocate Sarathchandra Prasad.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, Surendran registered a commanding victory, securing 63,690 votes and defeating the BJP's Shobha Surendran by a margin of 23,497 votes.

Muraleedharan is a seasoned national leader and former Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs. Muraleedharan is aiming for a comeback in the seat he had previously contested in 2016, where he secured 42,732 votes but lost by 7,347 votes.

Meanwhile, the stage is set for the counting of votes in the 2026 Assembly elections across Keralam with counting set to begin at 8:00 am on Monday.

Keralam presents a different kind of contest, where the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is seeking an unprecedented consecutive term. Historically known for alternating governments, Keralam's electorate has shown signs of shifting patterns.

However, exit poll projections have predicted that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is poised to win Keralam assembly polls.

Axis My India projected a comfortable majority for UDF and said it will win 78 to 90 seats in the 140-member assembly. It said the Left Democratic Front would win 49 to 62 seats and the BJP-led NDA zero to three seats.

According to People's Pulse, the ruling LDF is poised to win 55 to 60 seats, UDF 75 to 85 seats, and NDA 0-3 seats. JVC projected that UDF would win with 72 to 84 seats, LDF 52-60 seats, and the BJP-led NDA three to eight seats.

Keralam went to the polls in a single phase on April 9, and the voter turnout was 78.27 per cent. The LDF had won the 2021 polls and broken the trend of the state having a change of government every five years. (ANI)