No major surprises in Alappuzha

LDF almost sweeps the district by winning eight out of the nine Assembly seats

The results of the 2021 Assembly elections offered no major surprises in Alappuzha. In a repeat of the 2016 Assembly polls, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) has almost swept the district by winning eight out of the nine Assembly constituencies.

LDF candidates have emerged victorious in Aroor, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Ambalappuzha, Kuttanad, Kayamkulam, Chengannur, and Mavelikara constituencies.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which took a real pasting, has to settle for the Haripad constituency, where Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala tasted victory by a margin of 13,666 votes.

In a seesaw battle, Daleema Jojo of the CPI (M) wrested the Aroor constituency by defeating sitting MLA Shanimol Usman of the Congress by a margin of 7,013 votes. Ms. Usman had wrested the seat from the LDF in the 2019 bypoll after a gap of 13 years. However, she could not repeat the performance of 2019 and failed to retain the seat.

Saji Cherian of the CPI (M) registered a thumping victory in Chengannur, where a triangular contest was on the offing, by overcoming the challenge of M. Murali of the Congress and M.V. Gopakumar of the BJP. Mr. Cherian’s victory margin of 31,984 votes is the biggest in the district.

Despite facing a tough challenge, U.Prathibha of the CPI (M) retained the Kayamkulam segment with relative ease. She defeated her nearest rival Aritha Babu of the Congress by 6,298 votes.

P.P. Chitharanjan of the CPI (M) won from the Alappuzha constituency by defeating Congress’s K.S. Manoj by a margin of 11,644 votes.

In Ambalappuzha, H. Salam of the CPI (M) defeated his nearest rival M. Liju of the Congress by a margin of 11,125 votes.

The LDF retained the Cherthala constituency through P. Prasad of the Communist Party of India (CPI). He defeated his nearest rival S. Sarath of the Congress by 6,148 votes.

Thomas K. Thomas of the Nationalist Congress Party trumped Jacob Abraham of the Kerala Congress led by P.J. Joseph in Kuttanad. Mr. Thomas won by 5,516 votes.

In Mavelikara, M.S. Arun Kumar, a young face of the CPI (M) defeated K.K. Shaju of the Congress by 24,717 votes.

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