While most wards in the Kozhikode Corporation had very high polling rate, some above 80%, the drastically low voting rate in a few wards has brought down the overall polling rate in the civic body. At 70.49%, the Corporation’s polling rate is the lowest among local bodies in the district and much lower than the State’s average rate.
Contrary to popular expectations, Nadakkavu (Ward 65), Eranhipalam (Ward 64) and Valiyangadi (Ward 61) registered voting rates below 60%. Nadakkavu had the lowest polling rate at 54.99% while Valiyangadi recorded 55.43% and Eranhipalam 57.1%.
Other wards such as Athanikkal (71), Karapparamba (69), Moonnalinkal (62), Chalappuram (59), Kuttichira (58), Medical College (19) and Chevayur (21) had polling rates below 65%. On the other hand, Puthiyappa ward had the highest polling rate at 83.97%. Polling in the rest of the wards was much closer to the average polling rate of the district.
The trend in Valiyangadi, Chevayur and Athanikkal has appalled all political fronts as they had fielded strong candidates in those wards. Valiyangadi had two experienced leaders pitted against each other — Thomas Mathew of Loktantrik Janata Dal and A.K. Aboobakkar of Congress. Mohammed Shuhaib, the Revolutionary Marxist Party candidate, was an unexpected entry in the ward. In Chevayur, the United Democratic Front had fielded one of its mayoral candidates, P.N. Ajitha, against sitting councillor Anitha Rajan of the Nationalist Congress Party. Athanikkal too had two former councillors Asha Sasahankan of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and C.S. Sathyabhama of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the fray.
