Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate K.P. Kunhammad Kutty has captured the Kuttiyadi Assembly constituency with a thin victory margin of 333 votes from sitting MLA and United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Parakkal Abdulla. Mr. Kutty won 80,143 votes after a close fight with the sitting MLA. Mr. Abdulla secured 79,810 votes.
It was one of the key constituencies in the State where the LDF took into account the sentiments of ground-level party workers for shortlisting candidates.
The sacrifice made by the Kerala Congress (M) by giving up its allotted seat for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) nominee was also found contributing to the Left front’s victory.
LDF campaigners were very confident to stage a comeback in the constituency with the candidature of Mr. Kutty , a seasoned politician who had earlier proved his mettle as an approachable leader and Kozhikode District Panchayat president. According to LDF campaigners, their last term defeat was just a slip between the cup and the lip.
In the last election, Kuttiyadi, the erstwhile Meppayur constituency, was a shocker for the LDF as it failed to overcome the UDF’s challenge. With a thin victory margin of 1,157 votes, Mr. Abdulla trounced LDF opponent K.K. Lathika then. It was the end of a 25-year-long LDF dominance within the constituency. However, the Left front’s victory this time has given a shocker to the UDF, which hoped to retain the seat at least by a small margin.
