Riding on the momentum it gained during the recent local body elections, the Left Democratic Front has once against struck deep into the United Democratic Front bastions of Pathanamthitta to make a clean sweep of the district.
Of the five assembly seats, four seats were retained by their respective sitting legislators while the lone remaining seat went to the Kerala Congess (M). In Thiruvalla, Janata Dal (Secular) leader Mathew T Thomas , who bagged 62,178 votes, defeated Kunju Koshy Paul of the Kerala Congress by 11,421 votes, as per figures put out by the Election Commission.
In Ranni, which witnessed a neck and neck fight between the UDF and the LDF till the last moment, Pramod Narayan of the KC(M) edged out Rinku Cherian of the Congress by a slender margin of 1,285 votes.
Konni, which witnessed a tight three-way fight, once against swayed to the left as K.U.Jenish Kumar of the CPI(M) won by a margin of 8,508 votes. Aranmula, meanwhile, once again stood by the LDF as Veena George of the CPI(M) improved her margin of votes to 19,003 from 7,646 votes in 2016.
Meanwhile, the CPI retained its lone seat-Adoor, through the sitting legislator Chittayam Gopakumar with a margin of 2,919 votes. Of the total 1,46,311 votes polled, Mr.Gopakumar won 62,182 while the UDF candidate M.G.Kannan came second with 60,039 votes.
Having scored five out of five, the LDF has also bucked the trend of the leading coalitions taking turns to win majority in the district during the elections over the years. Riding on the left wave that lashed the State, the coalition could also stop the distinctive rise of the BJP in the district post the Sabarimala protests.
