It is almost a repeat of 2015 in the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation this time. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) won 51 seats (including two LDF-supported Independents) to continue its 45-year-old reign in the corporation, while the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 17 (including three UDF-supported Independents) and seven seats respectively.
The LDF showed a clear winning trend right from the beginning of the counting. By around 2.30 p.m., almost all results were out, but some were delayed further due to technical issues. While the LDF and the UDF retained most of their sitting seats, the NDA lost four of its seats. However, all the fronts made up for the lost seats elsewhere, thus making little difference in the final tally.
Prominent winners include all the Mayor candidates by all fronts, such as S. Jayasree and Beena Philip of the LDF, P.N. Ajitha, K.C. Shobhita and P. Ushadevi of the UDF and Navya Haridas of the NDA. Some of the surprising wins were that of Yuva Morcha leader T. Raneesh in Puthiyara, the sitting seat of the LDF, IUML Independent Kavita Arun in Kommeri, another LDF stronghold, CPI(M) capturing Beypore Port, Beypore and Marad, the sitting seats of the BJP and the BJP capturing Athanikkal, another sitting seat of the LDF.
Prominent losers include that of sitting councillors E. Prashanth Kumar, N. Satheesh Kumar and Nambidi Narayanan of the BJP, former standing committee chairperson Anitha Rajan of the NCP and councillor Thomas Mathew of the LJD.
The swearing-in ceremony of the elected members will be held on December 21 at Tagore Centenary Hall. District Collector S. Sambasiva Rao will administer the pledge to the eldest member, who in turn will do the same to other members of the council. The Mayor and the Deputy Mayor will be elected at a later date, and standing committee members too. The date of the first council meeting will be announced later.