Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 | CM Pinarayi Vijayan trails in Dharmadom as Congress candidate takes early lead

In a dramatic political wave, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is trailing in Dharmadom constituency, where Congress candidate V P Abdul Rasheed has taken an early lead, according to the Election Commission of India website.

Vijayan, the face of LDF in the Assembly election, is eyeing a hat-trick from the Dharmadom.

As per the EC, Vijayan was trailing by over 2,500 votes at 10 am.

A defeat would be considered a significant upset as Dharmadom is regarded as an LDF stronghold. However, the CPI(M) hopes for the chief minister to stage a comeback as counting progresses further.

In the 2021 Assembly polls, Vijayan had won from Dharmadom with a margin of over 45,000 votes.

As per initial trends, the UDF appears to have the upper hand across Kerala, with several key LDF sitting MLAs and ministers trailing in different constituencies.