The ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala on Monday, August 22 retained power in the Mattannur municipality in Kannur, even as opposition Congress-led UDF has doubled its tally this time. The LDF won 21 seats in the 35-ward municipality retaining power.
Meanwhile, Congress won nine seats, while its ally in the United Democratic Front (UDF) Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) bagged five seats. Last time, the Congress-led front got only seven seats.
Though the local body elections in the state took place in 2020 all across the state, the five-year term of Mattannur municipality only ended on August 2022. This is the seventh straight victory for the Left.
The BJP did not open its account anywhere. The UDF wrested back Porora, Elannur, Aanikkari, Kalaroad, Illambhagam, Maruthayi and Mettadi wards from the Left party. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said the increase in number of seats for the UDF shows that "any fort can be breached”.
Election to elect a new body took place on August 20, counting of votes began on Monday morning and at the end of counting, the Congress-led UDF doubled their seats from seven to 14, while the CPI(M) led Left saw its tally drop from 28 seats in 2017 to 21.
Incidentally, Kannur is the strongest bastion of the CPI(M) in the country in terms of active party members, not to mention stalwarts like Pinarayi Vijayan, Left convenor and former minister E P Jayarajan, former minister K K Shailaja, state Local Self-Government Minister M V Govindan and CPI(M) state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who also hail from the district.
Shailaja took to Facebook to slam those who said that the opposition candidate from her ward has won, saying all the news about this was baseless and unfounded, as their candidate has won a stellar victory.
Incidentally, Shailaja wrote herself into the record books after she won the Mattannur Assembly seat with the highest margin of 60,963 votes in the 2021 Assembly polls.
Of the 11 Assembly constituencies in Kannur district, the CPI(M) led Left won 9, while the Congress-led UDF won just two seats.