The 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly was dissolved on Wednesday, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar issuing the notification with effect from May 6.

Elections to the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly were held on April 9, with the results declared on May 4. The verdict marked a dramatic political shift in the state, as the UDF returned to power after a decade, bringing down curtains on the LDF regime led by Pinarayi Vijayan. Following this, he resigned from the CM’s post on May 4. The governor accepted the resignation and asked him to continue as caretaker Chief Minister until the new government assumed power.

The UDF secured a sweeping victory with 102 seats, recording its best performance since 1977, when the alliance had won 111 seats in the post-Emergency election. The front also achieved a clean sweep in all constituencies across five districts. In contrast, the LDF, which had retained power in 2021 with 99 seats, was reduced to just 35 seats this time. The defeat proved especially severe for the ruling front, with 13 ministers losing their seats. 

The UDF attributed the massive victory to strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the LDF government, coupled with corruption allegations that dominated the campaign discourse.

Meanwhile, the Congress has convened its legislature party meeting on Thursday, alongside detailed consultations between observers from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and the newly elected MLAs. The discussions focused on the selection of the next chief minister and the allocation of ministerial portfolios. The alliance leadership is also likely to meet constituent parties before formally staking claim to form the government.

Speculation over the chief minister’s post has intensified, with senior leaders V D Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal emerging as the leading contenders.