Published Feb 22, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 22, 2026 | 7:00 AM
Kerala Assembly race is not just being fought booth by booth — but byte by byte.
Election battles in Kerala have long spilled into the digital world. Hashtags trend, reels fly, and party handles trade barbs before breakfast. Cyber skirmishes are no longer novel; they are routine.
What is new, however, is this: the state’s two principal fronts -UDF and LDF- have now built full-fledged, dedicated websites — exclusively to attack each other.
Not campaign portals showcasing promises. Not glossy vision documents. But rival digital charge sheets, each arguing that the other represents either a disastrous present or a catastrophic past.
And in this unusually direct duel, the BJP — often quick to insert itself into Kerala’s political conversations — is, for once, not the main character.
This is a straight LDF versus UDF showdown, domain name versus domain name.
First came the Congress cyber brigade with “Kadakku Purath” — a digital resurrection of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s famously terse “Get out” remark to journalists.
UDF’s Kadakkupurathu website
What was once a sharp retort is now a full-fledged campaign theme. The website repackages grievance politics with crowd-sourced indignation It invites citizens to dial a number, wait for a beep, and vent. If democracy had a voicemail, this is it.
The pitch is simple: the Left Democratic Front has had nearly a decade in power; it’s time to escort it politely, or digitally, to the exit.
The slogan twist is clever — “LDF will come and everything will be right” has been inverted into “LDF will go and everything will be fixed.” Same rhythm. Sharper punch.
The site carries what it terms a “charge sheet”, alleging everything from governance failures to image-building excess. The language is muscular, the accusations sweeping.
It is less a website and more a curated complaint box with Wi-Fi. But in Kerala, political narratives rarely travel unchallenged.
Within days, the Left’s cyber responders unveiled their own portal: “Irundakalam” — Dark Age.
If Kadakku Purath insists the present is unbearable, Irundakalam counters that the past was worse. Much worse.
Shared enthusiastically by Left legislators, the platform revisits the years under the UDF government led by Oommen Chandy.
With archived headlines and reminders of old controversies, the site functions like a political time machine — one programmed to replay governance missteps, corruption allegations and administrative turbulence.
LDF’s Irundakalam website
If one site offers a complaints helpline, the other offers receipts. The subtext is unmistakable. Congress says the state has been mismanaged for 9.5 years. The Left replies: have you forgotten what came before?
Pick your apocalypse.
There is something unique about this duel.
In a state known for near-universal literacy and hyper-political awareness, campaign strategy has evolved into digital theatre. The language is combative but clever; the delivery partisan but polished. Even mudslinging now comes with responsive design and a share button.
More interestingly, both sides are framing themselves as listeners. ‘Kadakku Purath’ solicits grievances as if it were a civic tech startup. ‘Irundakalam’ compiles documentation as if curating an exhibition on governance cautionary tales.
It is democracy by domain name. Of course, beyond the sharp slogans and clickable outrage lies a serious electoral battle.
The Left seeks an unprecedented continuation of power. Congress-led UDF is desperate for a comeback. Accusations of corruption, communal compromise, financial mismanagement and political hypocrisy will intensify as polling nears.
For now, though, Kerala’s political mudslinging comes neatly packaged with URLs.
The Assembly race is not just being fought booth by booth — but byte by byte.
