Thiruvananthapuram, May 23
In a spectacular showing, the Opposition Congress-led UDF was heading for a landslide, winning 15 seats and leading in four others out of the 20 LS seats in Kerala.
Ruling CPM-led LDF was leading in only one seat Alapuzha, according to data provided by the Election Commission on its website about the counting of votes polled in the April 23 single phase elections in the state.
In Kasargod in north Kerala, Rajmohan Unnithan of Congress defeated LDF’s KP Satheeshchandran by over 40,000 votes.
The Congress two-time sitting MP from Kozhikode MK Raghavan scored a hat-trick of victories from the seat.
Raghavan, who faced a bribery allegation following a sting operation during poll campaigning, defeated CPM sitting MLA, A Pradeep Kumar, by over 85,000 votes.
Congress’ Benny Behennan, MLA K Muraleedharan, Ramya Haridas, Dean Kuriakose, VK Sreekantan, Hibi Eden, TN Prathapan are other candidates who emerged victorious. In Vadakara, K Muraleedharan, son of late CM K Karunakaran, won by over 84,000 votes against CPM strongman and the party’s former Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan. UDF convener Benny Behannan defeated LDF’s sitting MP and actor Innocent by a margin of over 1.32 lakh votes in Challakudy.
Ramya won from the reserved constituency of Alathur by a margin of over 1.58 lakh votes against her nearest rival and two-time sitting CPM MP PK Biju.
Kuriakose wrested the Idukki seat from the CPM-backed Independent candidate Joice George with a margin of 1.71 lakh votes.
Sreekantan, who proved to be a dark horse and never featured in any exit poll or survey, defeated two-time CPM MP MB Rajesh by a lead of over 11,000 votes in Palakkad.
Eden romped home in Ernakulam defeating P Rajeev of CPM by over 1.6 lakh votes and pushing Kannanthanam to the third spot while Prathapan triumphed over Rajaji Mathew Thomas of CPI in Thrissur by over 93,000 votes. Congress’ two time sitting MP Anto Antony was declared winner from the Pathnamthitta constituency. — PTI
BJP’s Alphons loses
The BJP’s hopes of opening its Lok Sabha account from the state this time were dashed again with Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam getting trounced in Ernakulam.
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2YI1npV
via Today’s News Headlines
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