Thrissur (Kerala) [India], March 21 (ANI): National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate C C Mukundan on Saturday filed his nomination from the Nattika Assembly constituency in Thrissur district ahead of the 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections, in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) city district President Justin Jacob.

The Election Commission of India, on March 15, announced that the 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23.

Earlier in the day, NDA candidate Anoop Antony also filed his nomination papers for the Thiruvalla Assembly constituency at the Sub-Collector's office.

The BJP-led NDA is aiming to unseat the incumbent Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and gain control of the 140-member Kerala Niyamasabha. The LDF has governed the state for approximately a decade, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan leading consecutive terms.

In the Kerala Legislative Assembly election, held in a single phase on April 6, 2021, with results being declared on May 2, 2021. The incumbent LDF retained power with 99 seats, marking the first time since 1977 that a ruling alliance secured consecutive terms in the state. The UDF won 41 seats, while the NDA saw a decline in vote share and lost its only seat in the Assembly. Following the victory, Pinarayi Vijayan became the first Chief Minister of Kerala to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term in office.

In terms of vote share, the LDF received 41.5 per cent of the total votes, significantly ahead of the UDF, which secured 38.4 per cent. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), secured 11.4 per cent of the votes but failed to win a single seat in the election.

Among individual parties in 2021, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) emerged as the single largest party with 62 seats and a vote share of 25.5 per cent. The Indian National Congress (INC) won 21 seats with a comparable vote share of 25.2 per cent, while the Communist Party of India (CPI) secured 17 seats. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key UDF ally, won 15 seats. (ANI)