LDF and UDF get presidents in 7 district panchayats each

Thiruvananthapuram: The UDF and LDF won the presidentships of seven district panchayats each in Kerala in the elections held on Thursday. The Congress and CPI (M) got presidentships of five panchayats each while the CPI and Muslim League won two each.

The Kasaragod district panchayat council elected A.G.C. Basheer (Muslim League) as chairman as the BJP councillors abstained from voting. Karayi Rajan (CPI-M)), accused in the Fazal murder case, was chosen as president of Kannur district panchayat.

The LDF nominees were elected as presidents of Kozhikode (Babu Parassery, CPI-M), Palakkad (K. Santhakumari, CPI-M), Thrissur (Sheela Vijayakumar, CPI), Alappuzha (G. Venugopal, CPI-M), Kollam (K. Jagadamma, CPI) and Thiruvananthapuram (V.K. Madhu, CPI-M) district panchayats also. The UDF won in Ernakulam (Asha Sanal, Congress), Idukki (Kochuthressia Poulose, Congress), Kottayam (Joshy Philip, Congress), Pathanamthitta (Annapoorna Devi, Congress), Wayanad (T. Ushakumari, Congress) and Malappuram (A.P. Unnikrishnan, Muslim League).

Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) retained control of Onchiyam grama panchayat by accepting support from two Muslim League members against CPI (M). UDF gained control of Munnar grama panchayat with support of two members of Penkal Orumai.

Fronts formed against Muslim League were victorious in some village panchayats in Malappuram district. In Vellavoor grama panchayat in Kottayam district, Kerala Congress (M) councillors voted for LDF.

The election had to be deferred in some panchayats such as Melukavu and Teekoy in view protests.