Elections in Kerala are characterized by closely contested races, as demonstrated in the 2021 Assembly polls where several constituencies had remarkably narrow margins. For instance, AKM Ashraf of the Indian Union Muslim League won in Manjeshwar by just 745 votes, while CPI's P Balachandran secured Thrissur by under 1,000 votes. Other notable close contests included CPI(M)'s VK Prasanth winning Vattiyoorkavu by approximately 1,500 votes and CPI(M)'s V Sivankutty winning Nemom by around 2,800 votes. The Congress leader P C Vishnunath also experienced a tight finish in Kundara, winning by about 2,000 votes. This pattern reflects Kerala's entrenched bipolar political system, primarily dominated by the LDF and the United Democratic Front (UDF), which limits vote fragmentation and compresses margins. Data from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) indicates that over 100 of Kerala’s 140 MLAs were elected with less than 50% of the vote share, showcasing the fragmented nature of mandates. Local issues, candidate profiles, and coalition dynamics play a crucial role in shaping voter preferences, making significant electoral swings possible even with minor shifts in support.