Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has changed his social media bio, a day before the counting of votes for the Keralam Assembly Election 2026. The bio allegedly mentioned the 'Chief Minister' tag previously.
His new bio reads, "Polit Bureau Member, Communist Party of India (Marxist)." Vijayan is seeking a historic win in the third term as the CM of the state and in his seat, Dharmadam.
Along with his third term as CM, Vijayan is also eyeing a third consecutive term from his home turf, Dharmadam. The constituency is a storied fortress for the Left.
What do exit polls say?
The development has raised eyebrows across the political landscape in the states, especially as several exit polls have predicted Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front's (LDF) defeat at the hands of rival Congress-led United Democratic Front.
ALSO READ: Keralam Results On May 4: Will LDF's Welfare Bet Secure CM Pinarayi Vijayan A Historic Third Term?
Pollsters, including Axis My India, Chanakya Strategies, People's Pulse, P Marq and Matrize, have predicted UDF to go past 70 up to 90 seats in the 140-seat assembly. LDF, on the other hand, is predicted to be restricted below 65.
What happened in 2021, 2016
During the last election in 2021, Vijayan secured 95,522 (59.8 per cent) votes, whereas UDF candidate C Raghunathan received 28.4 per cent of the total votes polled.
In 2016, the Keralam CM, contesting for the first time from the seat, secured 87,329 votes and won by a margin of 30,905 votes against UDF's Mambaram Divakaran.
ALSO READ: Keralam Exit Polls Predict UDF Government; Who Could Be Congress's Pick For Next CM?
Key factors to influence electoral outcomes
Among key factors that would shape the electoral outcomes include unemployment, migration, wage inequality and changing demographic structures.
With the counting of votes on May 4, Keralam will decide whether Pinarayi Vijayan's acclaimed welfare model will succeed once again or be given a farewell, making way for a new government.
(With ANI Inputs)