Nilambur Election Results: Congress' Aryadan Shoukath vs CPM's M Swaraj, who is winning this key battle before Kerala state elections next year

The Election Commission began counting votes for the Nilambur Assembly by-election on Monday morning.T he Congress party candidate, Aryadan Shoukath, continued to lead as counting of votes was underway in the Nilambur Assembly seat in Kerala on Monday. As per the latest Election Commission of India (ECI) data, Shoukath has polled 35,831 votes, leading by 5,448 votes from his nearest rival, M. Swaraj of the CPI(M). Shoukath maintained the lead right from the start of counting.

Nilambur Election Results: Why this seat matters

Nilambur is the only seat voting between state elections. Parties see the result as a signal for the 2026 Kerala Assembly race. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) all treated the poll as a test of their standing.

Nilambur Election Results: The main contenders

Bloc	Candidate	Notes
UDF	Aryadan Shoukath	Former Nilambur municipal chairman
LDF	M Swaraj	Former MLA and CPI(M) leader
NDA	Mohan George	Lawyer-politician
TMC (Independent)	P V Anvar	Two-time former MLA; left LDF in January

Nilambur Election Results: Voter turnout

Despite rain, Nilambur recorded 75.87 percent turnout. Out of 2,32,057 eligible voters, 1,74,667 cast ballots. Another 1,402 used postal voting.

Nilambur Election Results: Campaign themes

Candidates discussed:

• Human–animal conflict near forest villages
  
  
• Delay in welfare pension payments
  
  
• The Israel–Palestine war’s local impact
  
  
• Alleged links between Congress and Jamaat-e-Islami
  
  

What leaders said

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told rallies that the Congress leadership was “playing communal cards to win the election.” UDF leaders denied the charge and accused the LDF of seeking votes on religious lines. They also recalled Vijayan’s earlier remarks on Malappuram district. The LDF countered by citing AICC general secretary K C Venugopal’s “bribery” comment about pension arrears.

Nilambur Election Results: Predictions before counting

• UDF managers forecast a Shoukath victory margin of 15,000 votes, citing anti-incumbency.
  
  
• LDF workers expected Swaraj to win by 10,000 votes, crediting grassroots work.
  
  
• NDA organisers spoke of a shift toward their candidate.
  
  
• P V Anvar said he would win by 25,000 votes.
  
  

Nilambur Election Results: Background to the by-poll

The seat fell vacant after P V Anvar, elected twice as an LDF-backed Independent, resigned in January following differences with the CPI(M). With the Vijayan government nearing the end of its second term, both major fronts wanted a morale boost from Nilambur.

Counting will continue through 19 rounds. Final results are expected later on Monday. All eyes remain on whether Shoukath can hold his early advantage or if the numbers swing in later rounds.