Kerala civic polls: Boost for UDF, Lotus blooms in Thiruvananthapuram

In a morale-boosting show ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, Congress-led UDF on Saturday secured a decisive victory in Kerala's local body elections, dealing a blow to the LDF while the BJP wrested the city civic body from decades of Left control in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as the state politics' "watershed moment." Interestingly, it was the "beauty of democracy" remarks of Congress Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvanathapuram, Shashi Tharoor that took the cake on Saturday as the counting of votes was taken up across the state. Tharoor said he campaigned for a change from 45 years of the LDF "misrule", but the voters have ultimately rewarded another party that also sought a clear change in governance.

Thank you, Kerala, for this historic mandate.

BJP has swept the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, winning 50 of the 100 seats. The people of Kerala have also voted for the BJP in huge numbers on several other seats.

This victory will set the pace for a transformative shift… pic.twitter.com/GSGWpt0gOQ

— BJP (@BJP4India) December 13, 2025

At 6 pm, the UDF had won or was leading in 504 of 941 Gram Panchayats, 79 of 152 Block Panchayats, seven of 14 District Panchayats, 54 of 87 Municipalities and four of six Corporations, according to the State Election Commission Kerala.