The Corporation-level Congress leadership meeting expressed confidence that the United Democratic Front (UDF) would reclaim the Kochi Corporation with a resounding majority. The UDF managed to withstand sabotage attempts aimed at undermining its prospects. The victory would be the result of disciplined work, they claimed.
The meeting alleged that 200 to 300 UDF votes were deleted from the final voters’ list with the connivance of officials. A majority of such voters realised their names were missing only upon reaching the polling booths. Complaints could not be filed on time since candidates and workers were preoccupied with election-related duties during the finalisation of the voters’ list, the front alleged.
The CPI(M) exploited the situation to introduce discrepancies in the voters’ list across many divisions, the meeting alleged. Affected voters, candidates, and the Congress party would legally challenge these discrepancies. A complaint would also be lodged with the Election Commission, said Congress parliamentary party deputy leader K. Babu, MLA.
MLAs T.J. Vinod and Uma Thomas were among those present.
Outgoing mayor and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) election committee general convener for Kochi Corporation said that the LDF will retain power with a much improved majority than in the last election. He further said that the unprecedented unity in the LDF completing the selection of candidates without any hiccups, will reflect in the verdict. While we ran the campaign on a positive note and fought the election on a well-thought-out manifesto, the UDF ran a completely negative campaign. The UDF is also facing rebels in at least 19 divisions, and the unholy nexus with the BJP will also repel even their traditional supporters.
BJP City District Committee President K.S. Shaiju said that the party will add seven more seats to its five sitting seats to cross the double-digit mark. He specifically named Thrikkanarvattom, Girinagar, Ravipuram, Ponnurunni East, Puthukkalavattom, Changampuzha, and Edakochi South as the divisions to be added to the party’s kitty.
Published – December 12, 2025 12:08 am IST
