LDF’s uninterrupted 25-year reign ends in Kollam Corporation

The Kollam Corporation recorded one of the most definitive and surprising outcomes of the 2025 Kerala local body elections as the United Democratic Front (UDF) achieved a surprising sweep ending the uninterrupted 25-year reign of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in its stronghold.

Securing 27 divisions in the 56-member council, the UDF could wrest control of the Corporation, marking a major political recovery. This unprecedented victory, a massive turnaround from the LDF’s overwhelming majority in 2020, confirms a paradigm shift in urban voter sentiment and serves as a major boost for the UDF ahead of upcoming Assembly elections.

Basically, the results reflect the changing political map of Kollam, with the UDF taking power, the LDF suffering a major setback, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) striding forward with notable gains.

While the LDF plummeted from a near-two-thirds majority of 39 seats in 2020 to just 16 seats in 2025, UDF’s jump from 9 to 27 seats is a remarkable turnaround. Compounding the LDF’s loss, the NDA doubled its tally to 12 seats, while the defeat of two former Mayors, Communist Party of India (CPI)’s Honey Benjamin (Vadakkumbhagam) and Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s [CPI(M)] V. Rajendrababu (Uliyakovil), underscored the deep anti-incumbency wave that swept the Corporation. LDF’s loss signals a massive rejection of the incumbent administration and dissatisfaction over civic issues.

The polls also saw the NDA cementing its status as a major political force in the Kollam Corporation, winning 12 seats, only four less than the LDF’s final tally, and ushering in a truly tri-polar political scene. The most telling sign of the NDA’s surge and the LDF’s vulnerability was that the NDA held the second position in the overall count during the initial hours of counting. The increase in the NDA’s vote share and seat count undoubtedly contributed to the LDF’s colossal losses.