The 1996 Lok Sabha (Parliament) election in Kerala was held to elect Members of Parliament (MPs) from 20 parliamentary constituencies in the state. Indian National Congress emerged as the leading party, winning 7 seats. Communist Party Of India (MARXIST) came second with 5 seats.
A total of 20,673,867 electors were registered to vote across the state. Of these, 14,701,014 votes were polled, resulting in an overall voter turnout of 71.1%. The average victory margin across all constituencies was 47,448 votes, with the closest contest decided by just 1,480 votes and the largest margin reaching 121,896 votes.
A total of 8 political parties won at least one seat in this election. India's Lok Sabha elections use the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system, where the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins the seat. The party or coalition winning a majority of Lok Sabha seats forms the central government and appoints the Prime Minister.
Seat data is not available for this selection.
Seat breakdown: Indian National Congress (7), Communist Party Of India (MARXIST) (5), Muslim Leage (2), Communist Party Of India (2), Revolutionary Socialist Party (1) and 3 other parties.
Click on any constituency name to view the full candidate-wise breakdown with individual vote counts, vote share percentages, and party affiliations.
| Sno. | Constituency | Type | State | Winner | Party | Electors | Votes | Turnout | Margin | Margin% | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 183-Kasaragod | GEN | Kerala | T. Govindan | Communist Party Of India (MARXIST) | 1119715 | 812375 | 72.60% | 74730 | 9.20% | 1996 |
| 2 | 184-Kannur | GEN | Kerala | Mullappally Ramachandran | Indian National Congress | 1046188 | 774769 | 74.10% | 39302 | 5.10% | 1996 |
| 3 | 185-Vatakara | GEN | Kerala | O. Bharathan | Communist Party Of India (MARXIST) | 1089716 | 825203 | 75.70% | 79945 | 9.70% | 1996 |
| 4 | 187-Kozhikode | GEN | Kerala | M P Veerendra Kumar | Janata Dal | 1059411 | 758736 | 71.60% | 38703 | 5.10% | 1996 |
| 5 | 189-Ponnani | GEN | Kerala | G.M.Banatwalla | Muslim Leage | 1091180 | 733423 | 67.20% | 79295 | 10.80% | 1996 |
| 6 | 190-Palakkad | GEN | Kerala | N N Krishnadas | Communist Party Of India (MARXIST) | 1062083 | 737849 | 69.50% | 23423 | 3.20% | 1996 |
| 7 | 192-Thrissur | GEN | Kerala | V.V.Raghavan | Communist Party Of India | 995232 | 708216 | 71.20% | 1480 | 0.20% | 1996 |
| 8 | 194-Ernakulam | GEN | Kerala | Xavier Arrakkal | Independent | 1070063 | 729915 | 68.20% | 30385 | 4.20% | 1996 |
| 9 | 195-Idukki | GEN | Kerala | A.C.Jos | Indian National Congress | 1034335 | 729832 | 70.60% | 30140 | 4.10% | 1996 |
| 10 | 196-Kottayam | GEN | Kerala | Remesh Chennithala | Indian National Congress | 968334 | 701660 | 72.50% | 67048 | 9.60% | 1996 |
| 11 | 197-Alappuzha | GEN | Kerala | V M Sudheeran | Indian National Congress | 973861 | 758374 | 77.90% | 25949 | 3.40% | 1996 |
| 12 | 198-Mavelikara | GEN | Kerala | P.J.Kurien | Indian National Congress | 880820 | 633593 | 71.90% | 21076 | 3.30% | 1996 |
| 13 | 200-Kollam | GEN | Kerala | N.K.Premachandran | Revolutionary Socialist Party | 1022175 | 738078 | 72.20% | 78370 | 10.60% | 1996 |
| 14 | 202-Thiruvananthapuram | GEN | Kerala | K.V.Surendranath | Communist Party Of India | 1116833 | 721087 | 64.60% | 20802 | 2.90% | 1996 |
| 15 | 580-Adoor | SC | Kerala | Kodikkunnil Suresh | Indian National Congress | 940100 | 681578 | 72.50% | 65545 | 9.60% | 1996 |
| 16 | 581-Chirayinkil | GEN | Kerala | A.Sampath | Communist Party Of India (MARXIST) | 1035445 | 696024 | 67.20% | 48083 | 6.90% | 1996 |
| 17 | 582-Manjeri | GEN | Kerala | E.Ahammed | Muslim Leage | 1153025 | 795721 | 69.00% | 54971 | 6.90% | 1996 |
| 18 | 583-Mukundapuram | GEN | Kerala | P. C.Chacko | Indian National Congress | 1004427 | 749439 | 74.60% | 24757 | 3.30% | 1996 |
| 19 | 584-Muvattupuzha | GEN | Kerala | P C Thomas | Kerala Congress(M) | 975024 | 719419 | 73.80% | 121896 | 16.90% | 1996 |
| 20 | 585-Ottapalam | SC | Kerala | S. Ajayakumar | Communist Party Of India (MARXIST) | 1035900 | 695723 | 67.20% | 23064 | 3.30% | 1996 |
Data-driven analysis of the 1996 Kerala Lok Sabha election results, covering competitiveness, candidate performance, and voter behaviour.
The victory margin is the difference in votes between the winning candidate and the runner-up. A constituency with a margin under 5,000 votes is considered closely fought. The average margin in Kerala 1996 was 47,448 votes.
The 10 parliamentary constituencies decided by the narrowest margins.
| Constituency | Winner | Party | Margin |
|---|
Candidates receiving less than one-sixth (16.67%) of valid votes forfeit their security deposit. A high forfeiture rate indicates a party fielded candidates in constituencies with little voter support.
NOTA (None of the Above) allows voters to reject all candidates. When NOTA votes exceed the victory margin, it signals significant voter dissatisfaction.
| Constituency | NOTA Votes | Win Margin | NOTA > Margin? |
|---|
The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house of India's Parliament. Members of Parliament (MPs) are directly elected by voters in their respective parliamentary constituencies through universal adult suffrage.
Kerala is divided into 20 parliamentary constituencies. The constituencies are categorized as: GEN (18 seats), SC (2 seats). SC and ST reserved constituencies ensure representation for historically marginalized communities.
India follows the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes wins the seat. Elections are conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).