The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) continued its winning streak (since 1989), at the Lok Sabha polls from Kasaragod, with party central committee member and sitting MP P. Karunakaran making a hat-trick victory.
Mr. Karunakaran who had won the seat with a margin of 64,427 votes in 2009 polls and 1,08,256 votes in 2004 polls has won the seat with a slender margin of 6,921 votes which the Congress local leadership termed as a “mere technical victory”.
Fierce battleMr. Karunakaran humbled former Youth Congress president T. Siddique who secured 3,78,043 votes, with a margin of 6,921 votes while BJP nominee and State General Secretary K. Surendran stood with 1,72,826 votes, in the fiercely fought tri-cornered contest.
The drastic fall in the victory margin prompted Mr. Karunakaran himself to say that his party would look into the slender margin while DCC President C. K. Sreedharan termed the verdict as a “political victory” for the UDF.
