Four of the five ex-MLAs in the fray emerge victorious

Four of the five former MLAs who contested the local body elections have won.

The winners are K.S. Sabarinadhan of the Congress, who won the Kowdiar ward of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation; Anil Akkara, the Congress candidate in the Sanskrit College ward of the Adat grama panchayat in Thrissur; R. Lathadevi of the Communist Party of India (CPI) in the Chadayamangalam division of the Kollam district panchayat; and K.C Rajagopalan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] who won the Maramon ward of the Mezhuveli grama panchayat. Congress’s E.M Augusthy was defeated by CPI(M)’s C.R Murali in the Irupathekkar ward of the Kattappana municipality in Idukki.

Tally doubled

Mr. Sabarinadhan, who was the Mayoral face of the United Democratic Front (UDF), said that the front could make significant gains as it almost doubled its tally in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation compared to the outcome in the 2020 polls. He said that the people wanted to remove the Left front, which had been in power in the civic body for long. Mr. Sabarinadhan, who was elected from the Aruvikkara Assembly constituency in Thiruvananthapuram in 2015, said that the verdict had also shown that the Congress continued to have a solid base in the civic body.

Mr. Akkara, who represented the Wadakkanchery Assembly constituency in Thrissur district in 2016, referred to his victory as the second innings in his political career. He said that the people’s verdict was a befitting reply to the false narrative created by the Left front against him. Mr. Akkara, who is likely to be the front-runner for the post of Adat grama panchayat president, said that the UDF would come up with plans to ensure the overall development of the local body.

Ms. Lathadevi, who was the MLA of Chadayamangalam in 1996, said that she would use her expertise as a former legislator for addressing the problems faced by the people in her division.

Mr. Rajagopalan, who won the Aranmula Assembly seat in Pathanamthitta in 2006, said that he considered the victory a recognition by the people in his ward. He said that the Left front had hoped for an improved outcome in the panchayat, but it was impacted by the Statewide dominance of the UDF in this polls.

Quits politics

Mr. Augusthy, a three-time legislator, said in a Facebook post that he was quitting from active politics following the defeat. He said that he would no longer be on the stage, but would remain among the audience. He said that it was time to end his political journey that spanned over five decades.