The Manorama News-VMR Mood of the State survey has predicted a tough race in Kannur, where KPCC president K Sudhakaran is battling to retain his seat.

The survey found the going tough for Sudhakaran, who is likely to lose 7.15 per cent of the 50.27 per cent votes he had won in 2019. The UDF's dip in vote share to 43 per cent will put it in a neck-and-neck race with the LDF.

LDF's MV Jayarajan is likely to win 43 per cent of votes, the survey result said, adding that the NDA will win 5.12 per cent more, taking its vote share to 11.61 per cent. Former Congress leader C Raghunath is the BJP candidate in Kannur.

The survey put the difference in votes between the UDF and LDF at 0.21 per cent. The contest has become prestigious for Sudhakaran since he is the KPCC president. In 2019, he defeated PK Sreemathy of the CPM by a margin of 94,559 votes.

Though the contest in Kannur has been between the CPM and Congress for years, the BJP has gradually increased its votes over the past three elections. The SDPI also has a say in the constituency.

The Manorama News-VMR pre-poll survey covered 28,000 people across all the Assembly segments in March. The survey looked at the possible results if the polling was then conducted. The Manorama News-VMR pre-poll survey, "Who will win in 20 seats" is the largest in terms of sample size.