Kochi: Hibi Eden's landslide victory in Ernakulam is a record-breaker in terms of margin and stunning performance in all the seven assembly segments. In Ernakulam assembly segment, where UDF always has a clear advantage, Hibi has a comfortable margin of 31,178 votes. He secured 61,920 as against 30,742 votes polled in favour of LDF candidate P Rajeev. In Kochi, where the UDF lost in last Assembly elections on a slender margin due to infighting in the Congress, the dominant Latin Catholic community helped Hibi. A total of 71,720 votes polled in favour of Hibi while Rajeev got 41,957.
In Tripunithura, a stronghold of the Left represented by M.Swaraj MLA, Hibi secured a comfortable margin of 19,227 votes against Rajeev. UDF candidate got 71,631 votes against 52,404 votes polled in favour of Rajeev. NDA candidate Alphons Kannanthanam secured 25,304 votes.
In Vypeen, where LDF has an edge, the UDF candidate's margin is 23,241 votes. Hibi got 68,047 votes while Rajeev secured 44,806 votes in Vypeen.
Kalamassery, where Muslim voters are influential, and where both the fronts were banking hopes on, wholeheartedly supported the UDF with Hibi getting a margin of 20,689 votes. The UDF candidate secured 73,745 votes while Rajeev got 53,056 votes.
Voters in Thrikkakara, another UDF bastion, where P.T. Thomas is sitting MLA, stood rock solid behind Hibi where he defeated the LDF candidate by a majority of 31,777 votes.
In Paravur, represented by senior Congress leader V.D. Satheesan in the Assembly, Hibi's vote share is 71,025 while LDF got 56,940 votes.
According to political observers, victory could have been on Rajeev's side given the development work he undertook in Ernakulam as Rajya Sabha MP.
But Hibi's works on development front during his seven-and-a-half year stint as MLA in Ernakulam Assembly constituency and post-flood reconstruction efforts made him equally formidable in the electoral scene.
Though the LDF had an advantage of the early start of the campaign and the veteran parliamentarian image of Rajeev, Hibi could easily come along with well-oiled campaign machinery.
