KOCHI: Ahead of the local body elections, the UDF has strengthened its position in Ernakulam district by winning three out of four wards in the bypolls held on Monday. Notably, the UDF wrested two wards from the LDF – CPM-held Methala South in Asamannoor panchayat and CPI-held Nirappu in Paipra panchayat. With the Nirappu win, the UDF has now taken control of the Paipra panchayat.
At the same time, the LDF found some relief with the victory of a CPM-backed independent candidate in the Panankara ward of Paingottoor panchayat.
Billed as a semifinal contest ahead of the local self-government elections and the legislative assembly polls, the local body bypolls were taken seriously by both political fronts. In the East High School ward of Muvattupuzha municipality, UDF candidate Marykutty Chacko (421 votes) defeated CPM’s Reena Shareef (356 votes). NDA candidate Merlin Ramanan managed to secure only 46 votes.
In Methala South, Congress candidate N M Noushad won by 40 votes, defeating CPM’s E M Sankaran. In Nirappu, Congress’ Sujatha John secured victory with a majority of 162 votes. The by-election there was necessitated by the resignation of CPI member Deepa Roy following a dispute with the CPI leadership. The party demanded her to return the amount she had allegedly received under the LIFE Mission housing scheme, which she refused. In Panankara, CPM-backed independent Amal Raj won with a 166-vote margin. The seat was previously held by another independent candidate, backed by the IUML.
Ernakulam DCC president Mohammed Shiyas credited UDF’s performance to the ground-level efforts of the Congress election machinery, calling it the sign of a wave in favour of UDF across the state. “This result is also a public response against the Pinarayi government,” he added.
He acknowledged that in previous bypolls, except Aruvikkara, Thrikkakara, and Palakkad, UDF had struggled because of a lack of ground-level engagement. However, recent efforts have significantly improved their electoral performance, he noted.
Meanwhile, CPM Ernakulam secretary C N Mohanan said the party leadership will analyse the performance. “Local issues and some state-level concerns have influenced the election outcome. We will discuss the results at the ward-level and focus on the upcoming elections,” he said.