Vadakkanchery: When the results of the local body election were announced on Saturday, the UDF wrested control of the Puthukkode panchayat.

Of the 16 seats in the local body, the UDF secured 10, while the LDF was reduced to five. The BJP won one seat. K K Rajendran, vice president of the outgoing panchayat administrative council, was defeated in Ward 5. Congress mandalam president K Udayan won from Ward 12, while his wife, Jisha Udayan, was elected from Ward 11.

In Vadakkenchery, both the LDF and the UDF won nine seats each out of the total 22 wards. The BJP recorded surprise victories in the three wards of Cherukannambra, Valliyode and Paruvassery. Former CPM panchayat member C Prasad, who contested as an independent candidate in Vadakkenchery Pradhani, won by a margin of 182 votes. The Congress, CPM and BJP too had fielded their candidates here.

This time, the formation of the Vadakkenchery panchayat will hinge on the independent member, with the BJP’s stance also proving crucial. The UDF last held power in the panchayat in 1991. The defeat of K Prabhakaran, who had resigned as CPM local secretary to contest the election, along with the surprise victories scored by the BJP, has come as a major setback for the CPM here.

Former CPM area secretary K Balan, who had also served as president of the Kizhakkenchery panchayat for a decade, was defeated in Ward 7 (Parassery) of Kizhakkanchery despite contesting with UDF support. Similarly, P Gangadharan, former president of the Vadakkenchery panchayat and CPM local committee secretary, lost in Ward 3 though he too had contested with UDF backing. These defeats came as a setback for the UDF.

Although the CPM local secretary V Omanakuttan had claimed that the UDF would fail to win even a single seat in Kizhakkenchery, the UDF improved its tally from three to seven seats. However, the LDF retained power with 17 seats. The BJP once again failed to open its account in the panchayat. In Kannambra panchayat, the UDF suffered a complete rout, failing to secure even a single seat.

In Kannambra, only one member from the previous ruling council had been renominated by the CPM. Former panchayat member K Abdul Shukoor won again, securing victory by a margin of 82 votes. In Ward 19 (Kalamkulam) of the Vadakkenchery panchayat, the UDF had allotted the seat to the Kerala Congress, but with a Congress dissident entering the fray, CPM candidate Sanesh Kumar emerged victorious. The CPM too has initiated efforts to wrest control of the panchayat.