KOZHIKODE: The Kozhikode corporation election results delivered major political jolts on multiple fronts, with both the ruling LDF and the opposition UDF suffering unexpected defeats in key wards, even as BJP emerged as a decisive gainer by capturing several strategically and politically significant divisions.
LDF won 34 of the 76 seats, while the UDF bagged 26 and NDA, 13. In one of the most striking outcomes, LDF mayoral candidate and incumbent deputy mayor C P Musafar Ahmed was defeated in Ward 39, Meenchanda. Musafar, a senior CPM leader and son of former Kozhikode South MLA C P Kunju, was considered a strong contender in what the LDF had projected as a prestige battle. However, UDF candidate S K Abubacker secured a decisive victory, dealing a severe blow to the ruling front’s mayoral ambitions.
Meenchanda ward had undergone complete delimitation ahead of the election. Large portions of the former Payyanakkal ward – where Musafar had first been elected councillor in 2010 and where LDF had earlier enjoyed a comfortable margin of 713 votes – were merged into the newly formed ward, Mavoor road.
LDF had expected this restructuring to work in its favour. However, the calculations failed, reversing the BJP’s narrow 130-vote victory in the previous election and instead handing the seat to the UDF.
UDF too faced a setback with the defeat of its mayoral candidate KPCC general secretary P M Niyas, who contested from Paroppadi division. The BJP candidate Harish Pottammal emerged victorious there, underscoring the party’s growing footprint in urban Kozhikode.
While the LDF and UDF grapple with the fallout of losing key leaders and mayoral hopefuls, the BJP’s ability to penetrate wards historically dominated by both fronts points to a clear shift in urban voter sentiment.