The electoral defeat suffered by the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) (NCP(SP)) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), both components of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), is likely to have serious consequences for these smaller coalition allies.
The NCP(SP)’s failure to open its account, despite contesting three seats, marks a sharp turnaround from its performance in 2021. The RJD fared only marginally better, retaining one of the three seats it contested.
A comparison with previous parliamentary elections underlines the extent of the NCP(SP)’s decline. In 2021, the party secured two seats with AK Saseendran holding Elathur in Kozhikode and state president Thomas K. Thomas winning Kuttanad in Alappuzha. The inability of both leaders to retain their seats this time shows not only intransigence, but also the possible erosion of the party’s local organizational strength. Further, NCP(SP) candidate KT Mujeeb Rahman lost decisively to IUML’s PK Kunhalikutty in Malappuram segment.
Published – 04 May 2026 21:12 IST
