Axis My India Exit Poll Says LDF Is Losing Kerala, But Most Want Pinarayi Vijayan As Chief Minister

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is predicted to win at least 78 to 90 seats in Kerala, where the Left Democratic Front (LDF) has been in power for a decade, according to an exit poll by Axis My India.

The exit poll said the LDF is likely to take home 49-62 seats in the southern state which has 140 seats in the assembly. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) didn't win a single seat, the Axis My India exit poll showed.

Health warning: exit polls often get it wrong.

The same exit poll, however, stated that the most number of respondents in their surveys on the question of who they want to see as chief minister, mentioned the incumbent Pinarayi Vijayan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M).

But the exit poll also showed that the LDF, led by Vijayan's party, is predicted to lose to its Congress-led rival. At least 33 per cent of the respondents want the current chief minister to stay, Axis My India exit poll stated.

Next comes Congress leader VD Satheesan with 21 per cent of respondents rooting for him to become the chief minister.

The third preference for the chief minister's post is another Congress leader, Ramesh Chennithala, with 8 per cent of respondents saying they want him to be the chief minister.

At least 4 per cent respondents want BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar to become Kerala chief minister.

The last leader in the list of five names who the respondents want to see as chief minister is KC Venugopal of the Congress, according to the Axis My India report.

The UDF, which faced a big setback in the last assembly election, has reasons to be hopeful this time if the Axis My India exit poll holds true on May 4, when votes would be counted.

In neighbouring Tamil Nadu, actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the biggest challenger, even leading the tally in the Axis My India exit poll, signalling a dramatic shift in the state's political landscape.