Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan Resigns After Congress-Led UDF's Poll Victory

Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Monday accepted the resignation of incumbent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan following the Congress-led UDF's victory in the assembly elections.

According to Raj Bhavan, the Governor has requested Vijayan to continue in his post until a new government is sworn in and alternate arrangements are made.

Vijayan's resignation came after the Congress-led UDF defeated the incumbent LDF government by winning 63 out of 140 seats in state elections. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF secured 26 seats, while the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) won 22 seats, marking the exit of the incumbent LDF administration in the state.

Following the win, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulated UDF leaders and workers for the alliance's victory in the Kerala assembly polls and said he looked forward to visiting the state soon.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi also thanked people of the state for expressing faith in the Congress-led alliance.

He said the UDF government will harness the talent and potential of Kerala.

"Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate. Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign," he said.

"As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential and now Keralam has a UDF government with a vision to harness both. I look forward to seeing my Keralam family soon," he added.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also expressed her gratitude to people of Kerala for their support to the UDF in the assembly polls, saying they will strive to fulfil commitments with honesty and humility.

"To all my brothers and sisters in Keralam, thank you for your faith and for your overwhelming support. The trust you have placed in us will be the UDF's guiding force as we work hard towards building a better future for each one of you. I sincerely hope that our gratitude to you will be evident each day of the next five years as we strive to fulfill our commitments to you with honesty and humility," she said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)