Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod (EP)
Kasargod, May 2: The five constituencies of Kasargod have gone to CPM-led LDF and Congress-led UDF. The counting for the Kerala Assembly elections was held on Sunday May 2.
While UDF has retained Manjeshwar, UDF has continued its dominance in Kasargod. LDF has achieved success in Uduma, Kanhangad and Trikaripur.
UDF candidate A K M Ashraf, who was leading all through, defeated his BJP rival K Surendran by a small margin of 745 votes. LDF’s V V Rameshan had to be content with the third position.
K Surendran who had lost by a mere 89 votes against P B Abdul Razak in 2016 was in the fray again this time. BJP tried its best to win from Manjeshwar, but failed. UDF’s M C Kamaruddin had defeated BJP’s Kuntaru Ravish Tantri by 8,000 votes in the by-elections held in 2019 due to the death of P B Abdul Razak.
BJP Kerala state president K Surendran has lost both the constituencies from which he contested. Even in his defeat, he has set a record. In Manjeshwar in 2016, Surendran lost the constituency by 89 votes, but this time he lost the elections by 745 votes. Surendran had to be satisfy with the third position in Konni of Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, where LDF candidate Ginish emerged victorious and Congress secured second place. Surendran has to face defeat in Manjeshwar by a votes but in Konni he lost by a huge margin. The defeat of the BJP state president has upset the party workers.
Kasargod has gone once again to UDF. Muslim League’s N A Nellikunnu achieved a hat-trick by defeating BJP’s K Srikanth by a margin of 13,014 votes and entered the Assembly for the third time. Nellikunnu had won by about 8,000 votes in 2016. LDF’s M A Lathif came third.
Former Manjeshwar MLA C H Kunhambu has won in Uduma defeating his closest rival, Congress party's Balakrishna Periya by 9,286 votes. Therefore, LDF has retained the constituency again. BJP’s A Velayudhan obtained third spot.
State revenue minister E Chandrashekaran has won in Kanhangad. He defeated his Congress rival V V Sumesh. BJP candidate Balaraj had to be content by third spot. Chandrashekaran has won for the third time.
LDF’s M Rajagopal was victorious at Trikaripaur. He defeated the UDF candidate.