The results of the byelections for various local body wards were announced on Wednesday. In Thrissur's Pavaratty panchayat, the BJP secured a notable victory, taking a seat from the UDF. Similarly, in Alappuzha's Cheriyanad panchayat, the BJP wrested a seat from the CPM. The CPM faced further setbacks in Malappuram, losing two seats that it had long held.
Kannur
In Kannur, the LDF successfully defended its positions in the byelections for three local body wards. The CPM candidates won all three seats. These results, however, won't lead to any administrative changes in these local bodies. In Peringalam, MA Sudheeshan of the CPM won Ward 18 of the Thalassery municipality by 237 votes. KV Savitha of the CPM won ward 1 of the Padiyur-Kallyad panchayat by 86 votes. In the Alakkod ward of the Kangol Alappadamb panchayat, M Leela of the CPM won by 188 votes.
Malappuram
The CPM experienced significant losses in Malappuram, losing two long-held seats in the byelections. In Munniyur panchayat, a UDF independent candidate won a seat held by the CPM for six decades by a margin of 143 votes. In Vattamkulam panchayat, a CPM rebel, supported by the UDF, won a seat held by the CPM for four decades. The Welfare Party retained its seat in Kootilangadi panchayat, and the Indian Union Muslim League maintained its position in Malappuram municipality. Despite these changes, there will be no shift in administration.
Kozhikode
The LDF won the bypoll in ward 17 of the Mangad panchayat, with Beena Padmandasan of the CPM retaining the seat by a margin of 72 votes. The election was necessitated by the resignation of the former member, Pankajavalli. At 86.88 per cent, the voter turnout was high. Meanwhile, the UDF won the Mattamuri ward of the Mukkam-Kodiyathur panchayat. UP Mammad of the UDF won by 44 votes, though the margin significantly decreased from the previous election, where Shihab Mattumuri of the UDF had won by 230 votes. The byelection was called following Shihab's resignation. The LDF had fielded former member Kabeer Kaniyath for the seat.
Palakkad
In Palakkad, the UDF wrested two seats from the LDF — one each in Mankara and Thachambara panchayats. The LDF retained the Kottathara ward in Sholayur panchayat, with P Balakrishnan of the CPM winning by 311 votes. The UDF retained the Thekkathivattaram ward in Puthunagaram panchayat through Thajumma Mujeeba of the IUML. In Thachambara, Noushad Babu of the UDF won the fifth ward by 75 votes, a seat previously held by the CPM. The UDF also took the fourth ward of the Mankara panchayat, previously held by the CPI, with Anushree of the Congress winning by 127 votes. The CPM retained the Peruvamb ward of the Kollengode block with Prasanna Kumari's victory.
Thrissur
In Pavaratty, the BJP has wrested a seat from the UDF. Out of the total 947 votes polled, the BJP secured 556 votes. The SDPI came second with 265 votes, while the UDF, which managed only 97 votes, finished third. The LDF trailed in fourth place with just 27 votes. Currently, both the LDF and UDF hold five seats each in the Panchayat council, while the BJP and SDPI have two seats each. The LDF is ruling the panchayat with an independent member serving as president.
Ernakulam
In the Choornikkara panchayat, AK Shemeer Lala of the UDF won ward 9 by a margin of 123 votes, to help maintain the UDF control of the panchayat. The UDF also retained ward 8 of the Vazhakulam panchayat, with Shukkoor Palathingal of the Congress winning by a margin of 105 votes. Although the UDF holds a majority in Vazhakulam, the LDF has the president's seat as it is reserved for a Scheduled Caste member. In the LDF-ruled Chittatukara panchayat, Rethi Babu of the LDF retained the eighth ward.
Alappuzha
In Alappuzha, the CPM won two of the three contested seats in the byelections, with the remaining seat going to the BJP. In ward 13 of the Ramankary panchayat, the CPM candidate narrowly won by nine votes amid significant internal factionalism. Despite this, the CPM continues to rule the panchayat in coalition with the Congress. The byelection was held due to the resignation of the former panchayat president, now with the rebel faction.
In ward 4 of Cheriyanad panchayat, the BJP won a seat previously held by the CPM with a margin of 107 votes. This victory does not threaten the LDF's control of the ruling council. Meanwhile, in the Mannar panchayat, the CPM reinforced its position by winning Ward 11 by a margin of 120 votes. The LDF had been ruling this local body with the support of a Congress member who was recently disqualified for shifting allegiance. With this win, the LDF now holds a simple majority here.
Kottayam
In the byelections held for three local body wards in Kottayam, the LDF won two seats while the UDF won one. The LDF captured the Ponganthanam ward in the Vakathanam panchayat, with Kerala Congress (M) candidate Bavitha Joseph winning by a narrow margin of two votes. Bavitha received 368 votes, while Congress candidate Sajini Mathew garnered 366 votes, and BJP candidate Suma finished third with 48 votes. This election was also necessitated by the death of the sitting UDF member.
In the Poovanthuruth ward of the Panchikkad panchayat, Manju Rajesh of the Congress won by 129 votes, securing 487 votes. The BJP candidate Aswathi Rajesh followed with 358 votes, while the CPM candidate Jessy James finished third with 286 votes. This was a significant loss for the LDF as it was previously their seat.
The LDF retained the Kattikunnu ward in the Chembu panchayat in Vaikom, with Nisha Viju of the CPM winning the seat by 126 votes. Nisha received 473 votes, while Kavitha Shaji of the Congress got 347 votes. Sindhu Murali of the BJP finished with just 42 votes. This election followed the disqualification of the previous LDF member, Shalini Madhu, by the Election Commission due to her continued absence from panchayat committees. In the LDF-ruled Chembu Panchayat, the left coalition holds eight seats, while the Congress has four seats, and the Kerala Congress (Joseph) and the BJP have one seat each.
Pathanamthitta
The UDF secured a victory in the fourth ward of the Ezhamkulam panchayat, with C Sadanandan winning the seat by a margin of 46 votes. This election was necessitated by the death of the sitting CPM member. Despite the victory, this result will not impact the LDF-ruled panchayat. Additionally, the UDF won ward 2 of the Chittar panchayat, where Jolly Alamethil emerged victorious with a margin of 193 votes. The previous member of this seat had been disqualified after shifting allegiances to the LDF. This win significantly increased the UDF's winning margin from just three votes to 193 and secured a majority in the panchayat council.
Thiruvananthapuram
The CPM made a clean sweep of all the eight local wards in Thiruvananthapuram district where by-elections were held. The elections included the Velland division of the District Panchayat, Cheruvallimukku and Thottavaram wards of the Attingal municipality, Karimankode, Madathara, and Kollayil wards of the Peringamala panchayat, and the Pattala and Chathambara wards of the Pattala panchayat. In all these seats, CPM candidates emerged victorious.
In the by-election for the Velland division, LDF candidate Vellanad Sasi won. Sasi had previously won the seat as a UDF candidate but recently shifted allegiance to the LDF, reducing the UDF’s tally in the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat to five, while the LDF has 21 seats.
In Peringamala panchayat, the LDF wrested three wards from the UDF, resulting in the UDF losing control of the local body. The byelection was necessitated by the resignation of three UDF members, including the panchayat president, who then joined the LDF. Shinu Madathara defeated Shaija Laiju of the Congress in Madathara ward, Kalayapuram Ansari defeated Rukhiya Beevi of the Congress in Kollayil ward, and Shehas defeated G Subash of the Congress in Karimankode. The UDF could have retained power in the local body had it won at least a couple of seats.
In Karavaram panchayat, Baby Girija of the CPM defeated S. Bindu of the BJP to win the Pattala ward. The CPM also won the Chathambara ward, with Viji Venu defeating Raji Teacher of the Congress. The by-election was held for the seats vacated by two women members, including the panchayat vice-president. The panchayat is ruled by the NDA.
In Attingal municipality, MS Maju of the CPM defeated S Sreekala at Cheruvallimukku, with RS Mini of the BJP finishing third. In Thottavaram ward, J Lekha of the CPM defeated B Nisha of the Congress. The election in the civic body was necessitated by the resignation of two NDA women members following a rift with the local leadership. Of the 31 members of the municipal council, 18 are LDF members, while the Congress has six members. The remaining seven members are from the BJP.
