The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) crossed the halfway mark in Kerala on Monday, taking a clear lead in early Election Commission trends as counting of votes continued across key states. According to official data, the UDF was leading in 82 seats, with the Congress ahead in 50 constituencies and its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League, leading in 17. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) was trailing with leads in 51 seats. As per the latest trends, 14 ministers, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, are trailing in their respective constituencies. In 2021, Vijayan won Dharmadam with a margin of 50,000 votes. UDF points to anti-incumbency Congress leaders attributed the early lead to strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the LDF government. State Congress president Sunny Joseph said “anti-people policies” had contributed to the ruling alliance’s performance. Congress MP Jebi Mather said the outcome was beyond expectations. “The people of Kerala have given a decisive mandate to the UDF.…