The Congress-led UDF had a slight edge over the ruling LDF in Kerala after the first hour of counting of votes of the April 13 Assembly polls.
As trends poured in from all 140 segments, UDF aspirants were leading in 72 segments and LDF candidates in 64.
BJP's O Rajagopal was leading in Nemom over his nearest CPI(M) rival V Sivankutty by a margin of over 1000 votes. The party, which has never won an assembly seat, has made all efforts to open its account.
While LDF is putting up a strong showing in Palakkad and Kannur, UDF has an edge in Kottayam and Wayanad districts.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the rival fronts appeared evenly poised.
Prominent LDF candidates ahead in the race include Chief Minister and CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan and Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
Except RSP's N K Premachandran in Chavara, 13 other ministers seeking fresh mandate have established a early lead over their rivals.