The Left Democratic Front (UDF) may have retained the Kannur district panchayat, but it has not done so without leaving the rival United Democratic Front (UDF) in a jubilant mood. While the former is celebrating its ability to prove that its is too much stronger than its rival in the election to the district panchayat, the latter is upbeat because of the increase in its tally in this election.
The pre-election hopes of the UDF that it would improve its performance in the district panchayat poll has not remained unfulfilled as the outcome of the fierce election is enough to leave it in a good humour. The UDF which had to satisfy itself with just three seats in the district panchayat in the 2005 election has won twice the number of divisions it secured in the outgoing district panchayat. The calculations of the LDF have also not gone wrong when the results have been declared. The LDF during the campaign asserted that it would surely win 20 divisions in the panchayat.
The UDF pinned its hopes on Pallikunnu, Ulikkal, Peravur, Panur, Naduvil, Peringalam, Sreekantapuram and Azhikkal before the election.
When the results have come, its candidates have lost Panur, Peringalam and Azhikkal. Instead it has won Elayavur where Congress candidate P. Madhavan Master captured the seat from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) by a narrow margin of 453 votes (Though the counting was over, the winner is yet to be officially declared here). Kerala Congress (Mani) candidate Saji Kutiyanimattam defeated his Janata Dal (S) rival by just 943 votes in the UDF stronghold of Naduvil division.
In the Sreekantapuram division, K.V. Philomina of the Congress won the seat with a margin of 980 votes. K.J. Joseph of the Congress trounced his LDF rival in the Peravur division by 6526 votes, while the Congress candidate Daisy Maani pulled off a spectacular win in the Ulikkal division by a margin of 11,976 votes. The UDF has also maintained a high margin of 8085 votes in the Pallikunnu division where P.P. Mahamood of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) won the seat.
The election results have once again proved that Karivellur, Mayyil, Peralassery, Malur, Kathirur, Cherukunnu, Pappinissery, Pariyaram, Kadannappally, Pinarayi, Anjarakkandy, Vengad and Patyam Divisions are bastions of the LDF. The winning candidates with their parties and margins of victory in brackets are: Karivellur - E.P. Karunakaran (CPI-M, 15,459), Mayyil - K.A. Sarala (CPI-M, 11,874), Peralassery - T. Krishnan (CPI-M, 7932), Malur - K. Meenakshi (CPI, 7104), Kathirur - A.P. Sujatha (CPI-M, 6154), Cherukunnu - P.P. Divya (CPI-M, 9560), Pappinissery - K. Narayanan (CPI-M, 9497), Pariyaram - P.T. Rugmini (CPI-M, 7580), Kadannappally - M.V. Rajeevan (CPI-M, 16,313), Pinarayi - K. Raveendran (CPI-M, 16,098), Anjarakkandy - P.K. Shabareesh Kumar (CPI-M, 3475), Vengad - P. Gouri (CPI-M, 15,316), Patyam - O. Rathi (CPI-M, 13,744), Mathamangalam - K. Sathyabhama - (CPI-M, 3502), Thillankery - K.P. Shajira (CPI-M, 5430), Kunhimangalam - M. Kunhiraman (CPI-M, 6520). In the Iritty division which witnessed fierce battle, the CPI(M)’s P. Rosa defeated her UDF rival by a margin of 3659 votes.
Though the Communist Marxist Party (CMP) maintained lead throughout the early phase of the counting in the Azhikkal division, she lost to the CPI’s K.M. Sapna by a margin of 1658 votes. In the Panur division which the UDF hoped to win, the CPI(M)’s P.V. Rajeendranath defeated his UDF rival by 6584 votes. In the nearby Peringalam also where Muslim votes are decisive, the LDF’s strategy of fielding an independent candidate yielded fruit. The LDF supported independent Hameed Karyad defeated his Indian National League rival by 3679 votes there.
