KOTTAYAM: The UDF did not suffer serious reverses in Kottayam district though the LDF made some gains, but the BJP- SNDP alliance failed to make any headway.
The KC(M) led by Finance Minister K.M. Mani retained the Pala municipality giving a morale booster to Mr Mani who has been embroiled in the bar bribe allegations. The KC(M) won 20 seats, the LDF three and the BJP one seat.
A jubilant Mani said that the people had dismissed the bar bribe allegations. In a bid to silence his critics, he said though the UDF had suffered setbacks in other parts of the state, Pala, his home constituency, had stood with it.
The LDF has increased its tally from 12 grama panchayat divisions in 2010 to 21 this time while the UDF’s number fell from 62 to 49. Status quo is maintained in the block panchayat . While the UDF retained 11 block panchayats, the LDF retained its lone block panchayat of Vaikom by winning all the 13 divisions and crushing the BJP-SNDP alliance in the SNDP citadel.
In the district panchayat, the UDF won 14 divisions, while the LDF got eight. In 2010, the LDF had won only four.
The LDF captured Erattupetta and Vaikom municipalities whereas the UDF’s tally was reduced to four. In 2010, the UDF had captured all the four municipalities as Erattupetta and Ettumanur were made municipalities only later.
Former district panchayat president of the UDF, Nirmla Jimmy, was defeated in Poonjar division. Kottayam municipality chairman, K.R.G. Varrier, was pushed to the third position.
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