KOZHIKODE: The LDF suffered a significant vote loss in the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-elections, marking a major setback to the ruling government. For the first time, the LDF trailed the NDA in 171 booths across all three assembly constituencies – Mananthavady, Kalpetta, and Sultan Bathery.
Adding to the embarrassment, the LDF failed to secure a lead in Thirunelli, the home panchayat of its own minister, O R Kelu, where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi maintained a lead of 241 votes.
The LDF’s defeat was comprehensive, as it failed to register a majority in even a single municipality or the 23 panchayats in the district. In Sultan Bathery municipality, UDF candidate Priyanka Gandhi secured a decisive victory with 14,315 votes, while NDA’s Navya Haridas claimed second position with 4,217 votes, narrowly surpassing LDF’s Sathyan Mokeri, who garnered 4,136 votes.
The NDA outperformed the LDF by 81 votes and secured a lead of 135 votes in the 104th booth, despite trailing in 17 other booths. The LDF faced a significant setback here, with about 10,000 votes remaining unpolled.
In Poothadi, the UDF maintained its dominance with 10,116 votes, but the NDA demonstrated a strong presence by securing 4,106 votes, leading the LDF by 296 votes, which managed only 3,810.
A similar pattern was observed in Pulpally, where UDF led with 9,542 votes, followed by the NDA with 3,118 votes and the LDF trailing by 2,921 votes. The trend continued in Mananthavady, the constituency of Minister O R Kelu, where the LDF fell to third place in 39 booths.
Similarly, in Kalpetta, the LDF was relegated to third place in 35 booths, marking one of their worst performances in the history of the constituency.
The defeat has triggered significant discontent within the LDF as it grapples with the implications ahead of the local body elections.
Analysts and party insiders attribute the failure to a lacklustre campaign, minimal involvement of influential CPM leaders, and an inability to capitalise on issues like Rahul Gandhi vacating the constituency.
Leaders have expressed frustration over the lack of strategic planning and pointed out the need for introspection to recover from the heavy defeat.