MALAPPURAM: The result of the 2011 Assembly polls is likely to haunt the LDF district leadership for a long time.
Even though the anti-incumbency factor did not reflect in the polls, which is evident in the results, they lost three sitting seats in the district. Had it been a more tactical approach by the LDF, it would have won at least one more seat in Malappuram for sure.The district leadership will have to explain the poor performance of the party in Eranad constituency where CPI’s Ashrafali Kaliyath finished fourth securing a meager 2,700 votes.
While Muslim League’s P K Basheer was elected by a margin of 11,246 votes,
Congress-rebel and former Youth Congress leader P V Anwar came second and secured 40,000 votes. The CPM was in favour of supporting Anwar as an Independent candidate, CPI decided to field their own candidate. The CPI’s stand turned out to be a blunder.
Meanwhile, K T Jaleel once again proved the power of ethical politics. In the newly-formed Thavanur constituency, the LDF-backed Independent Jaleel defeated UDF’s P K Prakash by a margin of 6,754 votes. ENS
The Muslim League had actively campaigned in the constituency to have their revenge on the former League honcho, who had defeated P K Kunhalikutty in the erstwhile Kuttippuram constituency in 2006. As expected, LDF’s Sreeramakrishnan defeated the UDF’s P T Ajayamohan in Ponnani. However, P P Abdullakutty failed to maintain his sitting seat in Tirur.
The ‘Ali effect’ continued in Perinthalmanna, though a close fight was predicted in the constituency between the LDF and the UDF. ENS