Kerala local body polls: UDF makes inroads into Kottayam

Riding a strong anti-incumbency wave, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has made significant gains across Kottayam district, wresting control of a majority of local bodies.

The Congress-led coalition has won the district panchayat, secured a clear edge in most block and grama panchayats and raced on to power straightaway in two municipalities. In the 23 member district panchayat, the UDF surged to 16 seats, up sharply from seven in the outgoing council. In contrast, the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) strength fell to seven from 14. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), meanwhile, failed to retain its lone seat.

Of the six municipalities in the district, the UDF has returned to power in two and is well placed to form administrations in three more with the support of Independents. The verdict in the Pala municipality, however, remains inconclusive, with the UDF and LDF locked in a neck and neck contest with 10 and 11 seats respectively. Here, five Independents, including three belonging to a family driven political front, have emerged as key players who will decide the fate of the civic body.

In Kottayam municipality, the LDF suffered an unexpected setback, with several of its prominent candidates going down to defeat. Among them was Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) [NCP (SP)] leader Lathika Subash, who lost decisively to UDF candidate Susheela Gopakumar.

The BJP led NDA managed to seize power in three grama panchayats, including Aymanam and Poonjar Thekkekara, and improved its representation in Changanassery municipality. The coalition has also won four seats across the 11 block panchayats.

Out of the 71 grama panchayats in the district, the UDF increased its tally to 44 from 17, while the LDF now holds a clear majority in only 19, down from 51 in the previous term. Results in four panchayats remain hung. The BJP, which had focussed much of its campaign on grama panchayats, secured 122 representatives across these local bodies.

Among the municipalities, the UDF has registered clear victories in Kottayam and Ettumanur, while Independents will play a decisive role in Pala, Changanassery, Erattupetta and Vaikom. Though the Kerala Congress (M) failed to make significant gains elsewhere, it posted a strong showing in Pala, where 10 of the 19 candidates it fielded emerged victorious.