Thiruvananthapuram, May 5 -- Kerala's voters on Monday rejected the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front's bid to return for a third consecutive term with the alliance winning only 35 out of 140 seats in the state- its worst performance in over four decades.

The results mean that the Left front will not be in power in any Indian state, a first since 1977. After losing power in West Bengal in 2011, it suffered a setback in Tripura in 2018.

Meanwhile, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has sent his letter of resignation as chief minister to state governor Rajendra Arlekar, a person familiar with the matter confirmed.

The LDF, which began its current stint in power in 2016 with wins in 91 out of 140 seats, repeated the feat in 2021 with a...