Nattika entered counting day with attention firmly on C C Mukundan’s dramatic switch from the CPI to the BJP. By the end of the day, however, the focus had shifted to his defeat and the CPI’s successful defence of the constituency.

Mukundan’s crossover had transformed what was expected to be a routine LDF defence into one of Thrissur district’s more closely watched contests in the 2026 Kerala Assembly election.

When the votes were counted, the CPI retained the seat through former MLA Geetha Gopi, who defeated her rivals by a margin of 7,093 votes. Geetha secured 58,979 votes — lower than the 72,930 votes polled by the party in 2021, indicating a noticeable erosion in the CPI’s vote base.

Mukundan, contesting as the NDA candidate, finished third with 45,216 votes. The tally marked a significant jump for the BJP from its 2021 vote share of 33,650, suggesting that Mukundan was able to transfer a section of his personal support base to the NDA after his switch. However, that rise proved insufficient to convert his personal influence into victory.

The Congress emerged as the main challenger in the constituency, with candidate Sunil Laloor finishing second after polling 51,886 votes, an improvement from the party’s 44,499 votes in 2021.

BJP gamble meets organisational reality
Mukundan’s crossover from CPI to BJP has been the defining political story here. It gave the NDA a recognisable local face and briefly raised hopes of a breakthrough in a constituency where the BJP has previously remained competitive but distant. Yet that transition has not been seamless. BJP workers who once campaigned against Mukundan now find themselves defending him, and signs of that discomfort have been visible at the booth level. The late-campaign controversy surrounding the arrest of a former aide of Mukundan only deepened the confrontation, with the LDF and NDA turning it into a battle of narratives.

Why the LDF holds the edge
The LDF enjoyed structural advantages in Nattika. Geetha Gopi benefitted from the Left’s entrenched organisation, strong cadre loyalty and recent dominance in local body polls across panchayats such as Valappad, Thalikulam, Chazhur, Thanniam and Anthikad. The fragmentation of anti-LDF votes between the NDA and UDF also worked in her favour.

During the campaign, UDF’s Sunil Laloor mounted a steady show and remained active on local issues over the past five years, giving Congress workers hope that voter churn could produce an upset or at least a stronger finish. Nattika also recorded 76.38% polling this time, up sharply from 71.33% in 2021.

Both Manorama News–C Voter exit poll and Onmanorama poll meter suggests the exit of sitting MLA C C Mukundhan and the controversies that followed have not hurt the LDF significantly. It also predicted CPI’s Geetha Gopi to retain Nattika.

In 2021, the constituency delivered a commanding verdict for the C C Mukundan, then contesting as a CPI candidate, won with 72,930 votes, or 47.49% of the total. UDF candidate Sunil Laloor secured 44,499 votes, while BJP’s Lojanan Ambattu polled 33,716 votes. Mukundan’s victory margin stood at a formidable 28,431 votes.

In 2016, Geetha Gopi of the CPI won the seat with 70,218 votes, accounting for 46.67%. Congress candidate K V Dasan finished second with 43,441 votes, while BDJS candidate T.V. Babu polled 33,650 votes. Geetha Gopi was elected by a margin of 26,777 votes, underlining the depth of Left support in the constituency.

In 2011, Geetha Gopi had also secured a comfortable win, polling 64,555 votes, or 50.21%. Vikas Chakrapani of the CMP came second with 48,501 votes, while BJP candidate Sarju Thoyakavu received 11,144 votes. The CPI candidate’s winning margin that year was 16,054 votes, beginning a run of increasingly decisive Left victories in Nattika.