Kochi: UDF won 18 out of 20 seats in Kerala, almost mirroring its 19-1 sweep in 2019. However, the jubilation was overshadowed by a surprising and historic win for BJP in Thrissur, a prestigious constituency with almost 50 percent minority votes. This victory, in a three-cornered contest, was expected to underline that, try as they might, the saffron party’s polarizing politics had no place in this ‘progressive’ state.
The UDF secured a resounding victory, winning by an above-1 lakh margin in 11 of 18 constituencies. This includes Wayanad, where Rahul Gandhi trumped his nearest rival, Annie Raja of CPI, by a staggering 3,64,422 votes.
UDF’s second-biggest partner, Muslim League, retained its stranglehold on its fiefs Malappuram and Ponnani, winning by margins of 2,98,303 and 2,34,778 votes, respectively. This result quelled speculation that LDF was making substantial inroads among Malabar Muslims. In Thiruvananthapuram, three-time Congress MP Shashi Tharoor survived an early scare by finally defeating his nearest rival, Rajeev Chandrasekhar of BJP, by 15,000 votes, a steep fall from his handsome 90,000 plus margin in 2019.
