Parties put up brave face after moderate voter turnout in Kochi Corporation

All three fronts put up a brave face about their prospects in the Kochi Corporation despite the average turnout, with both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) making victory claims, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remained confident of increasing its tally to double digits.

M. Anilkumar, outgoing Mayor and general convener of the LDF election committee for the Corporation, dubbed the average turnout as proof of the absence of anti-incumbency against the last LDF-led council. “Had there been anti-incumbency, there would have been a much larger turnout,” he said.

Mr. Anilkumar reiterated that the LDF would retain power with a much-improved and comfortable majority compared to five years ago, when it ended up as the single largest bloc, albeit without a simple majority. It had to rely on Independents to secure power.

District Congress Committee president Muhammed Shiyas said the UDF would register a historic win and wrest back the Corporation. He expressed confidence of winning 10 to 14 seats in West Kochi and also winning big in Kochi central. “V4 Kochi, which contested in a large number of divisions and adversely affected the UDF in the last election, was not in action this time, whereas the presence of Twenty20 will hardly make any difference. Though rebels are there in a few divisions, the one in Chullickal alone posed some problem,” he said.

Mr. Shiyas alleged that 100 to 200 votes were deleted from the final voter list in every division of the Corporation with the help of government servants, and that UDF candidates and agents were targeted by the police. The police even declined to register a case against a person accused of bogus voting, he alleged.

BJP city district committee president K.S. Shaiju said the party would 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. “We have ensured that all BJP votes have been cast. The relatively low turnout should be seen as dissatisfaction with the LDF’s rule in the Corporation over the past five years,” he said.