Overcoming a slew of political controversies that rocked the state in the last few months, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) has made clear gains in the crucial Kerala local body elections, considered a curtain raiser for the Assembly elections due next year, on Wednesday.

With only a handful of results left to declared, the ruling Left parties sealed a clear edge over the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) which lost a some of their bastions to the former. At a few places, the BJP-led National Democratic Front (NDA) also put up an impressive performance in the contest that is being seen as a pointer to the Assembly elections this summer.

The LDF achieved victory across the length and breadth of the southern state, with the recent induction of the Jose K Mani-led faction of the Kerala Congress (Mani) proving to be a blessing in at least parts of central Kerala.

The KC(M) secured 10 out of the 26 seats in their stronghold of Pala Municipality. The Left also scripted their first win in former chief minister Oommen Chandy's Puthuppally panchayat in 25 years.

LDF bagged 29 seats in the Kochi Municipal Corporation which witnessed an edge-of-the-seat contest, and the UDF 30 seats there even as its Mayoral probable N Venugopal lost by one vote.

The LDF retained the Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation, while the Thrissur corporation witnessed a photo finish.

The LDF won Kozhikode and Kollam municipal corporations too.

Overall scene

In all, LDF won five of the 6 municipal corporations. The UDF could win only the Kannur municipal corporation.

The BJP opened an account in the Kannur Municipal Corporation, Nilambur and Kalamassery municipalities. The party fared well in Thiruvanathapuram Corporation too.

However, in municipalities the UDF has pipped LDF, with leads in 45 out of the 86 civic bodies in towns. The LDF secured 35 municipalities and the NDA at two places.

Twenty-20, an independent outfit has not only retained its stronghold Kizhkambalam panchayat but also spread its wings in the neighbouring local bodies in a big way. The party swept Aikaranadu panchayat in Ernakulam, winning all the 14 seats.

The scene in block and district panchayats

The LDF put up an impressive show in the district and block panchayats too. The LDF won 105 out of the 152 block panchayats, with UDF having an upper hand at 39 places.

The CPM-led LDF is cornered 10 out of the 14 district panchayats. The LDF have in its kitty Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur among others. UDF bagged Ernakulam, Malappuram and Wayanad.

In villages

LDF won 407 out of the 941 gram panchayats, proving its hold at the grass roots. UDF assumed power in about 252 village civic bodies.

The counting of votes for 941 gram panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 86 municipalities, 14 district panchayats and six corporations began at 244 centres across the state on Wednesday at 8am.

Counting is being held with adherence to a set of COVID-19 protocols. Postal votes by COVID-19 patients were counted first.

The elected members will take oath on December 21 and new local self-government bodies will assume by the year-end.

Three-phase polls

A total of 21,893 wards in 1,200 local self-governing bodies including 6 corporations, 941 village panchayats, 14 district panchayats and 87 municipalities, went to polls in three phases in the southern state on December 8, 10 and 14.

According to Election Commission figures, a total of 73.12 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first phase, 76.78 per cent in the second phase and 78.64 per cent in the third and final phase.

BJP-NDA, which was looking all means to break the decades-old bipolar polity led by UDF and LDF, was hopeful of showcasing an impressive performance and garner three-fold seats compared to the 2015 civic polls.

In 2015, the ruling Left front had nearly swept the civic polls by winning 549 village panchayats, 90 block panchayats, 44 municipalities and four corporations.

At the district panchayat level, both UDF and LDF had won 7 seats each.

BJP had come third in terms of wards in 2015 but displayed an impressive performance in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and Palakkad municipality.