: While the Left Democratic Front (LDF) swept Kozhikode by winning 11 out of 13 Assembly constituencies, it was dealt a blow by the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kuttiyadi that was perceived to be its fort.
NRI businessman and UDF candidate Parakkal Abdulla won 71,809 votes and wrested the seat from LDF’s K.K. Lathika, the sitting MLA and wife of Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary P. Mohanan.
She lost by 1,157 votes. In the 2011 election, Ms. Lathika had won by a margin of 7,000 votes against the IUML’s Soopi Narikkatteri.
Interestingly, this erstwhile Meppayur constituency had been a stronghold of the LDF since 1965.
For the UDF, the victory is a huge relief and a cause for celebration. UDF functionaries pointed that the win comes despite a “false campaign” by the LDF that Mr. Abdulla was a capitalist businessman. He had even approached the Election Commission seeking action against such propaganda, they said.
After the results on Thursday, Ms. Lathika alleged that money power got him the win. “We are awaiting action by the Election Commission on our complaint of cash for votes,” she said.
Koduvally experiment
On the other hand, the LDF’s gamble of supporting an IUML rebel paid off and hit the UDF hard in Koduvally. Karat Razak — the IUML rebel who fought IUML candidate M.A. Razak- won by a thin margin of 573 votes. His stint as a local body head for years had won him several supporters.
Kozhikode North
In Kozhikode North, it is a hat-trick for the LDF, with CPI (M) sitting MLA A. Pradeep Kumar polling 64,192 votes and defeating UDF’s P.M. Suresh Babu.
Mr. Kumar won by a thumping margin of 27,873 votes, compared to the 9,000 votes that was winning margin the last elections in 2011.
South favours UDF
In Kozhikode South, the UDF heaved a sigh of relief with the second successive victory for M.K. Muneer, who defeated the LDF-supported Indian National League candidate A.P. Abdul Wahab by a margin of 6,327 votes.
In the 2011 polls, the margin of Dr. Muneer was 1,376. Veteran CPI (M) leader C.P. Kunhu had defeated him in 1987 but he bounced back in 1991. In 1996, CPI (M)’s Elamaram Karim was the winner, but in 2001 it was the turn of IUML’s T.P.M. Zahir.
