KOCHI: Now after the poll rout, the LDF is in for another shocker. An analysis of the election results reveals the LDF candidates failed to secure a lead in 80 per cent of the sitting seats. Compounding the CPM-led alliance’s worry, bypolls are due to be held in the six seats from where the sitting MLAs have been elected to the Lok Sabha. Further worsening matters, four of these seats are held by the UDF. Of the total 140 assembly constituencies spread across 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala, the LDF was able to secure lead only in 16 sitting assembly seats in the Lok Sabha polls. However, the margin of lead has considerably diminished in all these 16 assembly constituencies. The front has a total tally of 91 seats in the Assembly.
In Southern Kerala, the LDF was able to maintain a lead of 759 votes in Nedumangad assembly constituency. It is the sitting seat of C Divakaran of the CPI who won the 2016 polls by a margin of 3,621 votes. In the capital city, the front was pushed to the third position in Kazhakkoottam, Thiruvananthapuram and Vattiyoorkkavu.
Meanwhile, the BJP has secured a lead of 12,041 votes in Nemom assembly constituency in Thiruvananthapuram. Sitting MLA O Rajagopal of BJP won the seat by a margin of 8,671 votes in 2016. This is also the only assembly seat in which BJP secured a majority in this year’s LS polls.
The other assembly constituencies in which LDF was able to secure lead are Adoor, Kayamkulam, Cherthala, Vaikom, Shoranur, Ottappalam, Kongad, Malampuzha, Thalassery, Dharmadam, Mattannur, Kanhangad, Thrikkaripur, Payyannur and Kalliyasseri. Among the list, Dharmadam in Kannur LS constituency is the sitting seat of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, from where he was elected in 2016 with a majority of 37,905 votes. However, in the Lok Sabha polls this year, the CPM candidate was able to manage a lead of 4,000 votes only.
CPM’s lone winner in the Lok Sabha polls is A M Ariff who is the sitting MLA of Aroor. However, he also trailed by a margin of 648 votes in the Lok Sabha polls in his own constituency. Among the other constituencies where the bypolls will be conducted, in Manjeswaram, the LDF is at the third position in the LS polls behind UDF and BJP. In Ernakulam, sitting MLA Hibi Eden who emerged victorious secured a healthy lead of 31,176 votes over his opponent P Rajeev in the LS polls. In Pala, where the bypolls will be held, the UDF is well ahead of LDF with a lead of 33,472 votes.
Meanwhile, in Konni assembly constituency, where bypolls will be held after sitting MLA Adoor Prakash winning the LS election from Attingal, the UDF got a slight edge over LDF with a margin of 2,721 votes.
The biggest test for the LDF will be the Vattiyoorkavu bypolls, which will be held after K Muraleedharan, the sitting MLA, won Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency.