Cong-led UDF wins 11 seats; leads in 8 in Kerala

In a spectacular showing, the opposition Congress-led UDF was heading for a landslide, winning 11 seats and leading in eight others out of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala Thursday.

Ruling CPI(M)-led LDF was leading in only one seat - Alapuzha, according to data provided by the Election Commission on its website about the counting of votes polled in the April 23 single phase elections in the state.

BJP's hopes of opening its Lok Sabha account from the state this time were dashed again with union minister Alphons Kannanthanam trounced in Ernakulam.

In Kasargod in north Kerala, Rajmohan Unnithan of Congress defeated LDF's K P Satheeshchandran by over 40,000 votes.

Congress two-time sitting MP from Kozhikode M K Raghavan scored a hatrick of victory from the seat.

Ragahavan, who faced bribery allegation following a sting operation during the poll campaigning, defeated CPI(M) sitting MLA, A Pradeep Kumar by over 85,000 votes.

Congress' Benny Behennan, MLA K Muraleedharan, Ramya Haridas, Dean Kuriakose, V K Sreekantan, Hibi Eden, T N Prathapan are other candidates who emerged victorious.

In Vadakara, K Muraleedharan, son of late Chief Minister K Karunakaran, won by over 84,000 votes against CPI(M) strongman and the party's former Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan.

UDF convenor Benny Behannan defeated LDF's sitting MP and actor Innocent with a margin of over 1.32 lakh votes in Challakudy.

Ramya won from the reserved constituency of Alathur with a margin of over 1.58 lakh votes against her nearest rival and two-time sitting CPI(M) MP P K Biju.

Kuriakose wrested the Idukki seat from the CPI(M) backed independent candidate Joice George with a margin of 1.71 lakh votes.

Sreekantan, who proved to be a dark horse and never featured in any exit poll or survey, defeated two-time CPI(M) MP M B Rajesh by a lead of over 11,000 votes in Palakkad.

Eden romped home in Ernakulam defeating P Rajeev of CPIM by over 1.60 lakh votes and pushing Kannanthanam to the third spot while Prathapan triumphed over Rajaji Mathew Thomas of CPI in Thrissur by over 93,000 votes.

Congress' two time sitting MP, Anto Antony was declared winner from the Pathnamthitta constituency, where he trounced CPI(M)'s Veena George, MLA, by a margin of over 44,000 votes.

BJP-NDA candidate K Surendran came a poor third in the constituency, where the saffron party had pinned its hopes for opening its account banking on the Sabarimla women entry issue.

After the LDF government decided to implement the September 28 verdict of the supreme court allowing women of menstrual age to offer prayers at the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa, protests had erupted in many parts of the state which was led by Hindu and right wing outfits and supported by BJP.

Kerala Congress (Mani) candidate Thomas Chazhikadan won from the Kottayam constituency. He defeated CPI(M) candidate V N Vasavan by a margin of over one lakh.