The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) coalition on Wednesday consolidated its position in the Kochi Corporation council and the Piravom Municipality by winning the bypolls held on Tuesday.
Bindu Sivan posted an emphatic win in the Gandhi Nagar Division and improved the tally of the LDF in the 74-member council. She won the election with an improved majority than that of her husband K.K. Sivan, whose death warranted the bypoll in the division.
Ms. Sivan defeated United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate P.D. Martin by a margin of 687 votes, which is almost six times the margin with which Sivan had defeated Mr. Martin during the last civic election. During the last election, Mr. Sivan had won the election by a margin of 115 votes.
With the win from the Gandhi Nagar division, the LDF has a strength of 37 members including the four independent councillors. While the UDF has the support of 32 members, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had got four of its representatives elected to the council. The Ernakulam South seat, which was represented by a woman councillor of the BJP, fell vacant following her death.
Responding to the media after the announcement of the poll results, Ms. Sivan said the victory should be viewed as approval of the good governance in the Kochi Corporation led by Mayor M. Anilkumar. The people in the division wanted to take forward the development works that were initiated by Sivan. She dedicated the improved majority of the LDF in the division to her husband.
In Piravam, LDF candidate Ajesh Manohar won the Edapallychira division by defeating UDF candidate Arun Kallarakkal by a margin of 26 votes.
