JOIN USImpressive win for UDF in Kerala
The UDF, which wrested the Thrissur and Kochi city corporations from the Left Democratic Front (LDF), won a majority of municipalities and performed impressively in the gram panchayats as well.
Among the five city corporations all of which were ruled by the LDF, it could register an impressive win only in Kollam and held on to a single seat majority in Thiruvananthapuram which has been its fiefdom for many years. |
The UDF will now rule 39 of the 58 municipalities, up from only 18 it had power in 2005. It also won eight of the 14 district panchayats this time, in place of just the two it won last time, and raised the number of block panchayats to 75 from the 39 it had last time.
The results of the grama panchayat elections trickling in show that the UDF has already won 479 out of 903, while it triumphed only in 221 panchayats last time.
Anti-LDF mood prevails
The results show that the anti-LDF sentiments which prevailed in the last Lok Sabha elections may have only gone up with just six months remaining for the Assembly elections. The LDF had then won only four of the 20 Lok Sabha seats.
However, CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan claimed that the LDF has fared better than in the Lok Sabha elections last year. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ramesh Chennithala termed the results a landslide victory for the UDF and demanded that the Achuthanandan government resign.
The BJP improved its performance by winning key seats in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi city corporations and coming second behind the UDF in Palakkad and Kasargod municipalities. Its stand will determine the president of several panchayats and municipalities.
Another highlight was the “account opening” made by SDPI, the political face of the Popular Front of India, which won three municipal seats and also a seat in Manjeswaram panchayat.