Kochi: While elections in corporations and municipalities where either of the fronts had a clear majority went as per expectations, the others threw in unexpected results for both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF).
The major upset for the UDF came in Kannur when the marathon talks between KPCC subcommittee headed by culture minister K. C. Joseph and party rebel P. K. Ragesh broke down on Wednesday morning.
The party was unwilling to concede Mr Ragesh's demands which included replacing KPCC general secretary Suma Balakrishnan with Amritha Balakrishnan and making him the deputy mayor. Mr Ragesh who held the balance between the two fronts with 27 votes each in the 55-mmeber council, voted in favour of E. P. Latha, making her the first mayor of Kannur Corporation.
Mr Ragesh, however, declined the LDF offer to make him the deputy mayor and absented himself from voting. When the votes equalled, the UDF candidate, Mr C. Sameer (IUML), got elected as the deputy mayor by a draw of lots.
It was a morale-boosting victory for the LDF as it had not counted Kannur as one of its possible targets. Though Kannur district is considered a CPM bastion, the corporation area used to be a stronghold of the UDF, which used to win the municipal elections.
Congress strongman from Kannur K. Sudhakaran, against whom Mr Ragesh has been fighting a political battle for long, said the party would study the losses it suffered in the elections.
The LDF won the Iritty Municipality after the Muslim League and the Congress fought over the chairmanship. Though it was agreed earlier that the Congress would retain the post, the Muslim League laid a claim to the post after it won 10 seats in the 33-member council where as the Congress got only five seats. Later, it was agreed that the Congress would hold the post for two years. However, three Muslim League members abstained from voting, resulting in the election of CPM leader P. P. Ashokan who polled 13 votes.
In Irinjalakkuda, the LDF lost the municipal chairman election when the vote cast by a CPI member became invalid on technical grounds, leading to the victory of Nimya Shiju of the Congress.
Secular Development Front, formed by political rivals of the Congress and the CPM, ended the Muslim League rule in Kondotty Municipality by ensuring the victory of P. Nadikkutty, defeating the League candidate who got only 18 votes.
