KOCHI: Amidst the pro-LDF wave that reverberated across the State, its major opponent UDF managed to retain the Kochi Corporation, though with a thin majority.
Of the 74 divisions in the Corporation, the UDF managed to win 38 seats, which is the single majority needed to rule the council. The result has come a huge relief to the Congress leadership in the district, which was under the KPCC scanner for the recent factional feuds, communal shift and poor selection of candidates.
Meanwhile, the LDF, which fought hard to make a comeback in the civic body, could manage only 30 seats. Though the BJP was not able to win any new seat in the city, it retained the two existing seats. Four Independent candidates, three LDF rebels and one UDF rebel also won the polls.
Major Defeats
Though the UDF could not secure absolute majority, as it did in the 2010 election, the Front succeeded in defeating some of the prominent candidates fielded by its opponents. Monamma Kokkad, who was projected as one of the probables for the post of Mayor by the LDF was defeated by P D Martin of the UDF by a margin of 277 votes in the Girinagar division.
The LDF’s bid to bank on the popularity of former Chief Minister E K Nayanar by fielding his daughter Usha Praveen in Ravipuram also met with a setback. She was defeated by UDF’s David Parambithara by a margin of 59 votes. K J Jacob, the Opposition leader in the previous council who led the LDF team in this year’s local body polls, too was defeated in the Kaloor South division by UDF’s M G Aristotle by 166 votes. Many sitting councillors of the LDF, including M P Mahesh Kumar, V A Sreejith and P R Reneesh, were also defeated. 21-year-old Feneesha Philomina Roy, the youngest candidate fielded by the LDF, too could not register victory.
In the UDF camp, one of the biggest upsets came in the form of the defeat of veteran politician and former Mayor K J Sohan, who contested as a JD(U) candidate. He was pushed down to the fourth position in the Nazreth division, where K J Antony of the LDF won comfortably.
AICC member Deepthy Mary Varghese, another prominent candidate in the UDF camp, too was defeated - in the Kunnumpuram division - by LDF candidate Ambika Sudarsan by a margin of 544 votes. Leno Jacob, son of former KPCC president A L Jacob, was defeated in the Ernakulam Central ward, by BJP candidate and sitting councillor Sudha Dileepkumar by a margin of 385 votes. The other seat that the BJP retained was Cheralayi, where its leader Syamala S Prabhu won by a margin of 410 votes. This is for the sixth time in a row she is getting elected to the Kochi Corporation.
Reacting to the UDF victory, former Mayor Tony Chammany said it was a bonus from Kochiites for the Front’s five-year rule that was focused on development. “With the UDF coming to power once again, the new council will be able to carry forward the development agenda of previous council,” he said. Meanwhile, CPM Ernakulam district secretary P Rajeeve said his side would analyse the election result, while admitting that the LDF had lost in some key divisions.