At the end of a neck-and-neck fight, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) won a slender majority of one seat in Thrissur Corporation. While the LDF won 24 seats, the United Democratic Front (UDF) secured 23. The Bharatiya Janata Party could secure six seats while one seat was bagged by a UDF rebel.
In the absence of a clear majority, the stand taken by the UDF rebel, M.K. Varghese, who won from the Nettussery division, will be decisive.
Refusing to clear his stand, Mr. Varghese said he would take a decision after taking opinion from his voters. However, both the LDF and the UDF are expecting his support to win a majority.
Even last time, the LDF that did not have an absolute majority ruled the Corporation as the largest party.
But election fever is not yet over in Thrissur Corporation. Election to the Pullazhi division, the sitting seat of the Left, has been postponed following the death of LDF candidate M.K. Mukundan. Mukundan, who was the Opposition leader, left the UDF and joined the LDF at the end of the last tenure. However, he died before he could start campaigning. The date of election is yet to be announced.
The NDA, which fielded BJP spokesperson B. Gopalakrishnan at Kuttankulangara division as Mayor candidate, suffered a major setback as he was defeated by UDF candidate B. Suresh Kumar for 191 votes. There were protests from within the party against the candidature of Mr. Gopalakrishnan at Kuttankulangara.
After the election, he had come up with the allegation that there was an unholy alliance between the LDF and the UDF to defeat him. Kuttankulanagara was the sitting seat of the BJP. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Suresh Gopi had won a majority in the division.
The BJP, which had six councillors in the last council, fielded the State leader aiming to win more seats. Though it lost three sitting divisions this time, it won three new divisions.
