THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The United Democratic Front (UDF) has gained an edge over the Left Democratic Front (LDF) winning 15 of the 27 local body wards, where byelections were held, when the results came out on Wednesday. The LDF won 11 seats and BJP wrested power from the CPM in one seat.
The LDF had 12 seats followed by UDF (11 seats) and independents (four seats) prior to the elections. The LDF lost three seats to the UDF and one seat to the BJP in Thiruvananthapuram.
BJP wrested power from the CPM in Kanthalloor in Karode panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram, while UDF came to power in Thuiyamkonam ward in Amboori panchayat, Nilamamoodu ward in Kunnathukal panchayat and Adappupara ward of Pangode panchayat. The LDF also seized the UDF’s sitting seat at Malappara, Kulakkada panchayat, in Kollam, while the UDF retained its 10th ward in Kundara panchayat.
The UDF has retained the 13th ward in Mulanthuruthy panchayat and 32nd ward in Kalamasserry Municipality in Ernakulam district. It also defeated Left independent candidate in 4th ward of Kozhoor grama panchayat in Thrissur. In Palakkad, the LDF wrested power in two seats, one each from UDF and an independent, and it retained another two seats. The UDF retained the 17th ward in Palakkad Corporation and 17th ward in Shoranur Municipality.