
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan exiting from the Thiruvananthapuram airport as he arrived in the capital city from his hometown Kannur on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN
In a constituency long considered a safe bastion where victory was certain even before counting began, Dharmadam witnessed an unprecedented electoral shake-up as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan saw his once formidable majority sharply reduced amid a strong United Democratic Front (UDF) surge.
Riding what observers described a UDF wave, Youth Congress State general secretary V.P. Abdul Rasheed delivered a stiff challenge to the Left’s “Captain”, unsettling the CPI(M)’s citadel and sending shock waves across Kerala’s political landscape.
Published – May 05, 2026 07:13 pm IST

