UDF wins Piravom

The United Democratic Front (UDF) on Wednesday won the byelection to the Piravom Assembly segment. Its candidate Anoop Jacob, son of late food and civil supplies minister TM Jacob, defeated CPI (M) rival MJ Jacob by a margin of 12,070 votes.

Anoop secured 82,756 votes while MJ Jacob got 70,686 votes. BJP candidate KR Rajagopal got 3,241 votes.

Of the 12 village panchayats in the constituency, UDF got a good majority in 10, while LDF could secure a slender lead only in Chottanikkara and Thiruvankulam villages, its traditional strongholds.

In the last election in 2011, TM Jacob had won the segment by a very thin margin of 157 votes defeating the same candidate.

A victory was essential for the UDF ministry in Kerala as the lead in the Assembly had dropped to just 4 with the death of TM Jacob. Now, the difference between the UDF and the LDF is 6 as R Selvaraj, a CPI (M) MLA, has resigned. With the victory of Anoop, UDF’s tally has increased to 73, including the Anglo-Indian nominee, while that of LDF is 67.

With Selvaraj’s resignation, byelection to the Neyyattinkara Assembly constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district is likely to be held within two months. Selvaraj is expected to be the UDF candidate. Chief minister Oommen Chandy and the UDF leadership are hopeful of winning this too.

The Left Front had several setbacks during the last couple of months, including the resignation of Selvaraj. Factionalism in cadre parties like CPI (M) and RSP is a major concern for the LDF while the UDF fought the Piravom byelection as a single party.