Five parties fail to open account in Kerala polls

As the Left Democratic Front (LDF) returned to power in Kerala after a five-year hiatus, five parties that cast their lot with either the LDF or the Congress-led United Democratic Front failed to open their assembly account.

In the UDF camp, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (B) and the Janata Dal (United), which had two legislators each in the outgoing house, came a cropper in the May 16 electoral battle.

Another UDF ally Communist Marxist Party's lone candidate C.P. John too failed to win, a repeat of the 2011 elections.

The Kerala Congress (Democratic), a new ally of the LDF, fought on four seats but ended up losing all. The party was formed just before the assembly elections when four top leaders of the Kerala Congress (Mani) walked out.

The losers included two-time Lok Sabha member Francis George and former legislators K.C. Joseph, Antony Raju and P.C. Joseph.

Another loser in the LDF camp was former Lok Sabha member Scaria Thomas, whose party Kerala Congress (Scaria) failed to open its account, as it did in 2011.

--IANS

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