: For at least an hour since the counting of votes began at 8 a.m. at the JDT Islam Complex at Vellimadukunnu in Kozhikode, fortunes kept changing for many candidates of the rival fronts, barring a few who took off on a good lead and kept the lead.
Suspense caused by thin leads and celebrations triggered by massive ones took turns at the counting centre. And, when leads turned decisive, even rain could not hold party workers from doing their celebratory jigs.
Among the winners in the 13 Assembly constituencies, only A.K. Saseendran, A. Pradeep Kumar, Purushan Kadalundy and V.K.C. Mammed Koya (LDF candidates from Elathur, Kozhikode South, Balusseri and Beypore respectively) maintained a clear lead from the start. The others went through nail-biting situations at least once during the counting.
It was a close fight between C.K. Nanu of the LDF and Manayath Chandran of the UDF in Vadakara where the lead was as low as 43 votes at one time. Mr. Chandran even managed to snatch the lead and keep it for some time. Sitting MLA K.K. Lathika (LDF) ceded her short-lived lead in Kuttiady to Parakkal Abdulla (UDF), who kept it for good.
In the initial stages of counting, the trend seemed as if Perambra, a traditional LDF stronghold would swing to the right with UDF candidate Mohammed Ikbal maintaining a steady lead for around two hours. But T.P. Ramakrishnan, former district secretary of CPI(M), managed to retain the fortress for the party. The situation in Kunnamangalam was similar, with T. Siddique (UDF) maintaining a lead in the initial stages and losing it to P.T.A. Rahim, an Independent backed by the LDF.
Geroge M. Thomas of the LDF went through some suspense-filled moments before taking Thiruvambady, a traditional UDF stronghold where V.M. Ummer Master kept the lead till 10 a.m.
The lead position for Koduvally oscillated between IUML district secretary M.A. Razak and rebel candidate Karat Razack for a long while. Kozhikode South sitting MLA and Minister M.K. Muneer also went through anxious moments when his lead dipped below 500 votes at one point.
In Beypore, the fight was for the second position between Adam Mulsi of UDF and Prakash Babu of BJP, as the latter managed to hold the position for some time.
The first victory celebrations started as the results of Thiruvambady constituency were declared. What began with lone riders on motorcycles waving the red flag, slowly turned into processions by groups of LDF workers turning Vellimadukunnu into a sea of red.
