Polling officials open ballot boxes during counting of votes for the Kerala local body elections, in Kozhikode, on December 13, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The United Democratic Front (UDF) is giving a tough fight to the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) hegemony in Kozhikode and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has made impressive gains as the results of the local body elections in the district trickled in by Saturday afternoon (December 13, 2025).
The Kozhikode Corporation, ruled by the LDF for around five decades, is seeing a neck-and-neck fight. At 1.30 p.m., the LDF is leading or has won 31 wards, closely followed by the UDF which is leading or has won 27 wards. The NDA’s tally stands at 13 seats, up from the seven that they had won last time. The LDF suffered a major setback as CP Musafar Ahmed, incumbent Deputy Mayor and Mayoral candidate, suffered a crushing defeat in the Meenchanda ward against the UDF’s SK Aboobacker. Other notable defeats included T. Sujan, MC Anil Kumar and C. Rekha.
The UDF also suffered an embarrassment when its Mayoral candidate PM Niyas lost to the NDA’s Harish Pottangadi in Paroppadi ward. KC Shobhitha, UDF party leader in the current council, won from the Malaparamba ward.
In the 28-member district panchayat, the UDF is leading or has won 16 divisions and the LDF 12. In the 12-member block panchayat, the LDF is leading or has won in seven divisions and the UDF is ahead in four seats. There is a tie in one division.
Kerala local body polls: After five years, Congress-led UDF romps back to power in Kochi Corporation
The UDF retained its supremacy in four of the seven municipalities. It came out victorious in Feroke, Koduvally, Payyoli and Ramanattukara. LDF is heading to victory in Koyilandy, Vadakara and Mukkom municipalities. Of the 70 grama panchayats, the UDF is leading or has won 39 and the LDF 25.
Published – December 13, 2025 02:15 pm IST
