7 months ago
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After a five-year hiatus, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has romped backmost to power, arsenic it is comfortably positioned to transverse the magic fig of 39 successful the 76-member Kochi Corporation.
By noon, it was starring successful 45 divisions, portion the Left Democratic Front (LDF) was up successful lone 20. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was starring successful six divisions, and independents successful five. The UDF is connected the cusp of replicating its champion show successful caller times, the triumph successful 2010 erstwhile it bagged 48 seats.
Of the 38 divisions for which results were declared, the UDF won 25, the LDF secured 10, and the BJP won three.
The UDF won Fort Kochi, Kalvathy, Earaveli, Mattancherry, Karuvelippady, Gandhi Nagar, Ernakulam North, Ponekkara, Dhevankulangara, Palarivattom, Puthiya Road, Vennala, Chakkaraparambu, Chalikkavattom, Konthuruthy, Island South, Palluruthy, Karippalam, Ernakulam South, Elamakkara South, Kathrikadavu, Kaloor South, Thattazham, Vaduthala East, and Edakochi South. The LDF managed to triumph Chakkamadom, Thevara, Palluruthy East, Perumpadappu, Kadebagham, Edakochi North, Konam, Palluruthy-Kacherippady, Nambyapuram, and Tharebagham divisions. The BJP retained its sitting seats of Island North, Ernakulam Central, and Cheralayi.
The UDF’s Antony Kureethara, who served arsenic the person of the absorption successful the erstwhile council, mislaid to T. Padmakumari of the BJP successful Island North. Meanwhile, BJP’s Pravitha Vijayakumar defeated her erstwhile enactment workfellow and six-time councillor Shyamala S. Prabhu by a important borderline of 1,593 votes. Ms. Prabhu had rebelled and resigned from the enactment to contention arsenic an autarkic aft being denied a summons this time.
The Congress succeeded successful wresting Gandhi Nagar and Vaduthala East - agelong considered LDF strongholds that had not fallen for astir 5 decades. Henry Austin defeated O.P. Sunil by 751 votes successful Vaduthala East, portion Nirmala Rajappan won Gandhi Nagar by narrowly defeating CPI(M)’s debutant campaigner T. Mayadevi by conscionable 20 votes. UDF’s parliamentary enactment caput successful the erstwhile council, M.G. Aristotle, defeated two-time CPI(M) councillor K.V. Manoj by 678 votes, and UDF’s imaginable mayoral campaigner V.K. Minimol defeated R. Ratheesh by 856 votes, overcoming a situation from Congress rebel Joseph Alex, who contested arsenic an independent.
Another UDF mayoral candidate, Deepthy Mary Varghese, was besides starring successful the recently formed Stadium part against LDF-backed autarkic George Nanatt. LDF-backed autarkic K.J. Prakashan, who had served arsenic a Congress councillor for 3 presumption since 2000, won from the recently created Mundamveli East division, portion his wife, two-time councillor Mary Calista Prakashan of the NCP-SP, was trailing successful the neighbouring Mundamveli division.
BJP’s Sunitha Dixon, who switched from the UDF state Revolutionary Socialist Party conscionable earlier the election, was trailing down the LDF’s Beena Divakaran successful the Ponnurunni East division.
The concern looked wholly antithetic during the archetypal hr of counting, erstwhile the LDF appeared poised for a 2nd consecutive term, starring successful doubly arsenic galore divisions arsenic the UDF. However, the inclination shifted dilatory but decisively arsenic the UDF continued to overturn LDF leads crossed aggregate divisions.
