KASARGOD: The BJP ended up losing its seat and its face in the local body by-elections held in Kasaragod. In four of the five seats it contested, the party saw its votes reduce.
The BJP lost its edge in the 19-member Badiadka grama panchayat when the Congress wrested Pattaje (ward no. 14) for the first time from the BJP.
Before the by-election, the UDF and the BJP were even-steven with eight members each, and the LDF was the third force with three members. In 2020, the UDF won the posts of the president and the vice-president by winning the toss of the coin, twice.
The by-election result changes the dynamics in the panchayat board. The UDF, with nine members now, will look to take control of the standing committees for development and welfare, which are now headed by the BJP and the CPM members, respectively.
The by-election was necessitated because the BJP's KN Krishna Bhat resigned to continue the social service done by his deceased father Sairam Bhat.
Apart from the result, the BJP will be hurt also by the voting pattern. Despite a high-octane campaign, the BJP saw its votes reducing. It is the only party to lose votes.
The Congress's UDF candidate K Shyama Prasad Manya defeated the BJP's Mahesh Valakkunja by 39 votes. "It is a historic win because we are winning the ward for the first time and that too by defeating the BJP," said Mahin Kelot, leader of IUML, an ally of the Congress.
The UDF polled 427 votes (273 votes in 2020), the BJP got 389 votes (423 votes in 2020), and the LDF's M Madana got 199 votes (179 votes in 2020).
In the 2020 local body election, Krishna Bhat, a long-time Congress leader who switched over to the BJP, defeated Shyama Prasad by 150 votes.
In this by-election, BJP lost 34 votes, while the Congress gained 154 votes.
The BJP district president Ravish Thantri Kuntar, who camped and campaigned in Badiadka, said his party lost not because of any vote erosion but because the UDF managed to add more than a hundred new voters to the voting list.
"Also, it was hard for the party to explain Krishna Bhat's resignation to our voters," he said.
BJP loses votes and face in Kumbla
In another embarrassment for the BJP, the majority of BJP supporters voted for the winning LDF candidate at Pervad (ward no. 14) in Kumbla grama panchayat.
The seat fell vacant because CPM member S Koggu resigned after the High Court upheld his conviction in the killing of a BJP worker.
Though he was convicted for the killing of BJP worker Vinu Koippady, the panchayat members of the BJP struck an alliance with the CPM members, including Koggu, to control the standing committees. This led to an open revolt in the BJP with some workers locking the party's district headquarters on February 20.
ALSO READ | Pillankatta village in Kerala's Kasaragod walks extra mile to raise Rs 40 lakh for girl's treatment
The BJP fielded Muralidhara Yadava, one of the leaders who opposed the nexus with the CPM, as its candidate in Pervad for the byelection. He polled only 61 votes.
In contrast, the BJP got 179 votes in Pervad ward in the 2020 Kumbla gram panchayat election. In the election to the Kumbla division of the district panchayat in 2020, the BJP got 229 votes in the ward, which is considered the party vote.
CPM's Anil Kumar won the ward by 189 votes, defeating Nasir M G of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
In the by-election, the CPM polled 675 votes, 80 votes more than it got in the 2020 election.
BJP leaders said the party supporters might have voted for the CPM candidate to stop a Muslim candidate from winning.
Rise of SDPI
The IUML has more to worry about than the BJP. The party polled three votes fewer than it got in 2020.
But the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of the Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI), got 141 votes in the byelection. In the 2020 election, SDPI got only 46 votes in the ward.
"It is a worry for us because the SDPI is luring Muslim youths with their communal politics," said Yousaf Uluwar, state committee member of the Indian Union Youth League. "We are coming up with counter campaigns to drive home the importance of secularism and democracy among youths," he said.
CPM wins in Kanhangad
The CPM's N Indira defeated the Congress's P Narayani by 504 votes in Thoyammal (ward no. 11) in Kanhangad municipality.
The CPM polled 701 votes (719 votes in 2020) and the UDF polled 237 votes (215 in 2020).
In Thoyammal, too, the BJP's votes fell to 72 from 105 polled in 2020.
The by-election was necessitated by the death of CPM member C Janakikutty.
LDF wins in Kallar with reduced margin
LDF's independent candidate Sunny Abraham won by 33 votes in Adakam (ward no. 2) of Kallar panchayat.
The LDF polled 441 votes (404 votes in 2020) and Congress candidate Saji Placheri polled 408 votes (343 votes in 2020). The BJP got 90 votes in the byelection. It had polled 205 votes in the ward in the 2020 election.
The byelection in Adakam ward in Kallar was necessitated because its member A J Jose fell ill and stepped down.
IUML retains Pallipuzha in Pallikkara
IUML's Sameera won Pallipuzha (ward no. 19) in Pallikkara panchayat by 596 votes. She polled 831 votes. Her nearest rival, LDF's Rasheeda, polled 235 votes.
The BJP, which fielded a candidate for the first time in Pallipuzha, got 12 votes. The election at Pallipuzha was necessitated after its IUML member Naseera P stepped down to go abroad.