Alappuzha proved to be the political giant that it was expected to be, playing a major role in the Left Democratic Front’s striking performance in the Assembly elections and in the process, freeing itself from the dominance that the United Democratic Front (UDF) had maintained on the district for the last several Assembly elections.
Not only did the LDF manage to secure seven out of nine constituencies in the district, the front’s best poll performance here so far, it also managed to give a tough fight to Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala in Haripad, throwing to the wind his declared hopes of a majority of over 25,000. Mr. Chennithala could manage a lead of 5,520 against the CPI’s G. Krishnaprasad. Mr. Krishnaprasad’s loss was a repeat of what happened in the November 2009 Alappuzha by-poll, when he lost by a whisker to A.A. Shukoor of the Congress.
Mr. Shukoor, also the District Congress Committee president, did not have luck favouring him this time, as he lost to sitting MLA A.M. Arif in Aroor by a margin of 16,582 votes.
In Cherthala, the results brought an unfortunate end to what could be the last election that veteran K.R. Gouri fought, with the JSS general secretary being defeated by sitting MLA P. Thilothaman of the CPI by 18,315 votes. This was only the fourth loss in the 17 elections that the 92-year-old Ms. Gouri had contested in. Rubbing salt into her wounds was the defeat of her party’s lone MLA, K.K. Shaju, at Mavelikara, to the LDF’s R. Rajesh, by 5,149 votes.
With JSS candidates A.N. Rajan Babu losing in Karunagapally and Umesh Challiyil losing in Kaipamangalam, Ms. Gouri’s party now stands without any representation in the Assembly.
In Alappuzha, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac’s victory by 16,342 votes, dashed the hopes of first-timer P.J. Mathew, who expected a polarization of Latin Catholic votes in favour of him. Dr. Isaac’s victory was comprehensive in that sense, his majority in most of the polling booths in Latin Catholic-dominated areas proving the point.
In Ambalapuzha, Coir and Cooperation Minister G. Sudhakaran, who won with a majority of nearly 12,000 votes in 2006, saw his majority swelling to 16,580 this time. The municipal wards added to his constituency after delimitation, particularly those where K.C. Venugopal of the Congress had majorities of upto 9,000 in previous elections, played a crucial role here. Mr. Sudhakaran claimed a majority of 4,024 in those wards, indicating that the UDF had lost 13,000 votes there.
In Kayamkulam, sitting MLA C.K. Sadashivan scraped past veteran Congress legislator M. Murali by a mere 1,315 votes. This was the first time in recent elections that any candidate had won on successive occasions in Kayamkulam constituency.
In Mavelikara, the LDF’s R. Rajesh stunned UDF’s K.K. Shaju of the JSS, gaining a majority of 5,149 votes. Even the LDF had not counted on this victory, party sources said, making it all the sweeter for the Left. In Chengannur, however, LDF’s hopes of former MP C.S. Sujatha pulling off a victory over Youth Congress president P.C. Vishnunath were shattered, with the sitting MLA walking away with a huge victory that had a margin of 12,500 votes.
