"LDF will be defeated": Keralam Congress chief Sunny Joseph confident of UDF victory ahead of counting

Speaking to ANI, Joseph said the outcome would mirror recent local body elections and reflect public sentiment against the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).

"We are fully hopeful. We will win. This will be a repetition of the local body results. We are very confident that we will win. Number we cannot predict... Anti-people policies, Sabarimala, gold theft, all these are the key factors that are being discussed in this election by and large," he said.

Responding to claims by the CPI(M) that it would secure a majority, Joseph added, "Naturally, they have to. Until the result, they will be claiming that they will be winning. When the result comes, they will be defeated."

Counting will begin at 8 am with postal ballots, followed by EVM votes from 8:30 am, with live updates available on the ECINET platform. The process is being closely monitored amid tight security arrangements across counting centres, including the Mar Ivanios College campus in Thiruvananthapuram.

The state recorded a voter turnout of 78.27 per cent in the single-phase polling held on April 9. Exit polls have largely projected an advantage for the Congress-led UDF, predicting between 72 and 90 seats in the 140-member Assembly, while the LDF is expected to secure 49 to 62 seats. The BJP-led NDA is projected to win a marginal share.

Meanwhile, BJP leader V Muraleedharan expressed hope for a "positive verdict" in favour of the NDA, citing development and governance under Narendra Modi as key planks. Congress MP Jebi Mather also voiced confidence in a UDF government, stating that the Chief Minister would be a Congress leader, to be decided in consultation with the party high command.

The LDF, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is seeking a rare consecutive third term after its historic win in 2021, which broke Keralam's pattern of alternating governments. (ANI)