Parties rework strategy amid increasing acrimony as Kerala race enters final leg

Kerala Assembly polls heat up as CPI(M)-led LDF and Congress-led UDF intensify campaigns amid rising identity politics.

With barely a week remaining before public campaigning ends for the Kerala Assembly polls 2026, the major political fronts are overhauling their strategies and intensifying their push to win over the electorate for the single-phase polling on April 9.

The electoral battle is crystallising as a direct confrontation between the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and an invigorated Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) struggling to muscle in as a third force in the sweepstakes.

Against this backdrop, what began as an election focused on development, inflation, and unemployment has since evolved into something far murkier. Conspiracy theories of backroom deals between rival coalitions and cynical identity politics with communal overtures involving outfits such as the SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) are now dominating the fag end of electioneering.

As campaigning reaches a fever pitch, big names have landed in the State. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has already visited Palakkad and Thrissur, is expected to return next week for a final blitz in the southern districts. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, has electrified the race with a string of charged rallies, while his sister and AICC general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is expected to begin her own campaign shortly.

While the UDF was energised by an unexpected victory in the three-tier local body polls held in December 2025, the coalition has spent much of this campaign firefighting internally over who should be the Chief Ministerial candidate should the UDF come to power. The party lagged behind in releasing its list of candidates; and the public drama surrounding K. Sudhakaran MP, who put the party leadership on tenterhooks over his candidature has taken the shine off the Opposition’s charge.

The UDF is now attempting to resurrect the Sabarimala gold theft scandal, while balancing it with a manifesto centred on social welfare and financial security, specifically targeting youth and women.