NEW DELHI: In Kerala’s Chengannur, LFD’s Saji Cheriyan emerged as the winner, defeating UDF’s Eby Kuriakose by 10,292 votes. Saji Cheriyan received 757,895 votes, while Eby Kuriakose secured 47,567 votes. There were a total of 188776 registered voters on the electoral rolls for the 2026 Assembly election in Chengannur Assembly constituency, of whom 89942 were male, 98831 female and 3 belonged to the third gender.Exit polls released for the high-stakes Kerala battle indicate a competitive contest, with the incumbent LDF government seeking a third consecutive term amid a strong challenge from the UDF.Chengannur Assembly constituency is a general seat in Alappuzha district, Kerala, covering Chengannur Municipality and nearby rural areas like Puliyoor and Veeyapuram panchayats. The current MLA is Saji Cherian from CPI(M), elected in 2021. He won with 67,303 votes (44.27 per cent), defeating INC’s D. Vijayakumar who got 46,347 votes (30.48 per cent). This yielded a margin of 20,956 votes, or 13.79 per cent of valid votes, with a turnout of 70.87 per cent.Key issues: Residents contend with frequent flooding from the Pamba River, disrupting farming and daily life in this agrarian belt. Poor road connectivity, especially rural links, hampers transport and trade. Civic woes include erratic water supply, waste management gaps, and overburdened public health facilities amid rising urbanization. Other challenges involve youth unemployment, delays in irrigation projects for paddy fields, and power outages during monsoons. As part of Mavelikara Lok Sabha, it shares concerns like agricultural input shortages, mirroring rural Kerala’s broader struggles.