Kerala Election 2026: What do UDF, LDF, and NDA promise in their manifestos?
Kerala is heading towards the Legislative Assembly election with polls scheduled on April 9, 2026, and the results will be counted on May 4, 2026.
There are a total of 140 constituencies in the state. While Kerala, currently ruled by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), is gearing up for a tight contest with the United Democratic Front (UDF), the National Democratic Alliance aims to strengthen its influence in the state.
This election will see 2.71 crore registered voters (including 1.31 crore male voters, 1.38 crore female voters and 277 transgender individuals) and a total of 25,231 polling stations. The current term of the Kerala Legislative Assembly will end on May 23, 2026.
All the three political fronts (LDF, UDF and NDA) have released their manifestos for the upcoming elections.
Here’s what they promise:
Well-being guarantees
All three political fronts invested heavily in the promise of social pensions, focusing on the older voter bloc.
The LDF, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has promised “the eradication of absolute poverty” and has made this arena central to its political campaign.
They promised to increase the social security pension in Kerala to £3,000 a month. This is being presented as the ongoing ‘Nava Kerala’ model that focuses on expanding the safety net for the aging population in the state.
The Congress-led UDF has integrated the pension promise into a broader framework of ‘Indira Guarantees’. He promised to increase all social pensions to ₹3,000 per month. In a related move, the front promised to fix the daily minimum wage for ASHA workers at ₹700.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA also promised a social pension of ₹3,000 per month. It was also promised to distribute ‘Bhakshya Arogya Suraksha’ cards to needy women to purchase food and medicine.
healthcare
LDF has promised a healthcare model that covers all citizens of Kerala, irrespective of their economic status. They promised Universal Health Coverage, defined as “unlimited” treatment benefits. They also promised a “disease-free Kerala lifestyle” with a focus on preventive medicine.
It also aims to create a unified digital health record for all citizens of Kerala to facilitate history and tracking of medical procedures and treatments.
UDF has promised Oommen Chandy Health Insurance Scheme offering cover of ₹25 lakh per household. The manifesto also promises to open ‘Indira Canteens’ across the state to provide subsidized meals by linking nutrition to public health.
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The NDA alliance promises to open an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kerala to accelerate medical treatment in the state. They plan to develop Kozhikode as a medical hub focusing on medical innovations and specialized treatment.
Women’s participation
LDF promises to increase female workforce participation in Kerala to achieve 50% female employment in various sectors. The manifesto promises to create 2 million jobs for housewives and help them become economically independent.
UDF promises ₹1,000 per month to all college-going girls in the state. The manifesto promises free travel to all women in all buses operated by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).
The NDA promises households two free LPG cylinders a year (one for Onam and another for Christmas) in the hope of boosting support from women voters.
In order to ease the household burden on women, he promised to provide houses to all landless families and 20,000 liters of free water per month to each household.
Connection
LDF promises to implement metro rail projects in both Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. It plans to expand the Water Metro system, building on the model established in Kochi, to integrate inland waterways into the public transport network.
The completion of the ongoing national highway (NH) projects is also an election promise made by the front.
UDF promises ‘Mission Samudra’, tagged as its flagship ‘dream project’, where 600 km of the state’s coastline will be integrated and maritime connectivity strengthened.
The NDA promises the construction of a high-speed rail network that will connect the southern tip of Thiruvananthapuram with Kannur in the north. The manifesto promises to develop the aviation sector in the state to increase connectivity with other parts of the country.
It was published – 03 April 2026 11:11 IST
