PTI
Kochi, May 11 (Thursday, 5-45 pm): Sons of two former chief ministers were among five political heirs who were humbled in the Assembly polls in Kerala, while six relatives of politicians, who contested the three-phase Assembly elections in the state, emerged victorious.
K Muraleedharan, son of veteran leader K Karunakaran, and leader of Democratic Indira Congress, suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of P T A Rahim, an LDF-supported independent candidate from Koduvally, while Dr M K Muneer, a minister in the outgoing Oommen Chandy cabinet and son of former chief minister C H Mohammed Koya, was defeated from Mankada.
Actor-turned-politician K B Ganesh Kumar, son of Kerala Congress (B) leader, R Balakrishna Pillai, retained his Pathanapuram seat, while M V Shremyamskumar of the Janata Dal(S), son of JD(S) leader M P Veerendra Kumar, defeated former Minister K K Ramachandran from Kalpetta in his electoral debut.
For Muraleedharan electoral battles are not new. But this is the first election he faced after the formation of his one-year-old Democratic Indira Congress-K, which was carved out by splitting the Congress.
Muraleedharan has represented Kozhikode in the Parliament twice. But his attempt to step into the Assembly had been thwarted once earlier when he unsuccessfully contested from Vadakancherry in the 2004 bypoll.
Dr Muneer, PWD minister in the Congress-led UDF government, had represented Malappuram in the Assembly in 1996 and 2001. He was shifted to Mankada this time, which proved unlucky for him and Manjalam Kuzhiali (LDF-IND) defeated him.
Balakrishna Pillai, who was seeking re-election from Kottarakara, suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the CPI-M’s Aisha Potty.
He had represented the constituency since 1991.
Labour Minister Babu Divakaran, who is the son of former minister T K Divakaran, was defeated from Kollam constituency, which he had represented in 1987, 1996 and 2001. In 1991, he had lost from the constituency.
Shibu Baby John, son of veteran RSP leader and former minister, Baby John, lost from Chavara.
CPI candidate K P Rajendran, son of former minister K P Prabhakaran, won from Kodungalloor. Kerala Congress (Mani)-UDF candidate, Prof M Jayraj (Vazhoor), son of former minister, Prof K Narayana Kurup, was elected. LDF’s K Ajit (Vaikom), son of former MLA V Keshavan, K P Mohanan (Peringalam) son of former Transport Minister P R Kurup and Binoy Viswam (Nadapuram) have all been elected.
State Minister A Sujanapal, son of veteran leader A Balagopal, lost from Kozhikode I, while DIC-K-UDF candidate Maleth Sarladevi, who is the younger sister of former MLA K Gopinath Pillai, failed to retain her Aranmula seat.