The CPM cruised to consecutive terms in the state assembly polls in 2016 and 2021, flexing its brute dominance in at least six districts in Kerala. In 2026, what awaited CPM was an absolute bloodbath in its favourite hunting grounds. Between 2021 and 2026, the party leaked 5.87 lakh votes in 140 constituencies. The CPM's vote tally in 2026 was limited to 47 lakh, down from 52.8 lakh in 2021. The CPM polled 21.77% votes in 2026 compared to 25.38% in 2021.

The most severe impact was felt in districts like Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kollam and Alappuzha. In the previous terms, the LDF victory in various constituencies in these districts was powered by the deep-rooted CPM patronage.

In the 2026 assembly elections, figures show a seismic shift. The Congress gained 9.84 lakh additional votes across all the districts in the state.

As for the CPM, Thiruvananthapuram always seemed reliable. This time, the voters here chose the BJP, CPM, CPI, CMP and the Congress. This multitude of choices was reflected in the vote drain. In the 10 CPM seats, the party lost 1.19 lakh votes when compared to 2021. The scale of loss was particularly enormous in seats like Kazhakootam (27.56%), Vattiyoorkavu (29.78%), Kattakada (25.01%) and Neyyatinkara (20.92%).

Kadakampally Surendran, who lost to BJP's V Muraleedharan, polled 17,554 votes less than what he got last year in Kazhakootam. V K Prasanth, who banked his developmental initiatives, lost 18,198 votes in 2026 and the UDF candidate K Muraleedharan clinched the seat. The average loss of votes in Thiruvananthapuram is 17.41%.

Even seats, which CPM had owned for years, were uprooted. The last time Vamanapuram chose a Congress MLA was in 1970 - M Kunjukrishnapillai. This time, after five decades, the Congress clinched the seat by a margin of over 11,000 votes.

In 2021, the CPM had pocketed 20 out of 24 seats in Kannur and Kozhikode. Nowhere else did the CPM feel the wrath of the cadre and supporters for its evident autocratic instincts like it felt in these districts in 2026. Together, the party saw a drain of 1.26 lakh votes across 16 constituencies in Kannur and Kozhikode. In Taliparamba, where the CPM had scoffed at nepotism charges in candidate selection, it lost 14,082 votes in 2026.

Taliparamba had a Congress MLA just once in six decades - C P Govinda Nambiar in 1970. In 2026, the Left-leaning voters elected a Congress-backed independent, T K Govindan Master, who was ousted for calling out abominable tendencies, with a stellar majority. 

In Payyannur, where V Kunhikrishnan was called a liar for flagging fund fraud within the party, the loss was over 24,000 votes - a shocking figure in a seat which had always elected a CPM MLA since 1965.

The party took a beating in other seats as well, even where it won. It scraped through in Kalliasery, Dharmadam, and Mattannur, but lost 31,405 votes compared to 2021. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself felt the sting in Dharmadam, where he trailed in six rounds of counting of the Kerala assembly polls 2026. Even with all the rage, the cadres were kind in Peravoor, where  K K Shailaja was asked to do the heavy lifting against KPCC president Sunny Joseph. She managed to poll 61,687 votes here. CPM got 63,534 votes in Peravoor in 2021.

Some of the seats in Kozhikode, which had long been Left strongholds like Baluserry and Perambra, witnessed huge vote-drain; 9,681 in Perambra and 14,015 in Baluserry. It was in 1970 that Perambra last elected a Congress MLA, K G Adiyodi. This time, IUML's Fathima Thahiliya gave a rude shock to the LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan, winning the seat with a majority of 5,087 votes in Perambra. 

In Alappuzha, veteran CPM leader G Sudhakaran's open rebellion against the party triggered a ripple effect. Across six seats, the CPM lost 72,425 votes. Except in Mavelikkara, the dip in votes was above 10,000 in seats like Aroor, Ambalapuzha, Kayamkulam and Chengannur. The party leaked votes at an average rate of 17% in Alappuzha. Sitting Minister Saji Cherian pulled through, but not without losing 13,643 votes. Sudhakaran's effect dented CPM's vote share in Ambalapuzha by 23%.

The CPM lost as many as 44,520 votes in Eravipuram, Kollam and Kundara in 2026. The LDF had won nine out of 11 seats in 2021 in Kollam.  The allies were stung equally. Between KC(M) and CPI, the loss stood at 2.67 lakh votes. The worst drop was recorded for KC(M); 21.96% while the CPI's votes dropped by 10%.