Candidate for ldf pm hardasing in Kalor North Division of Kochi Corporation on 1st December 2025. | Photo credit: RK NIT.
An interesting battle is taking place in Kochi Corporation’s Kaloor North division, where both the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) have fielded candidates who were earlier elected as councilors on Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) tickets and who have rebelled against the party at various points.
The UDF candidate, TK Asharaf, who won the last election as an independent, has since returned to the IUML and is now contesting as its official candidate. LDF candidate PM Harris, who won from the division as an IUML candidate in 2015, has since joined the CPI(M). Bharath Dharma Jana Sena’s (BDJS) TP Pradeep Kumar is making it largely a three-cornered contest, though candidates from the Twenty20, Social Democratic Party of India and Independents representing the People’s Democratic Party are also in the fray.
Though a four-time councillor, Mr Asharaf faces a tough challenge this time as it is his first contest outside his traditional stronghold of West Kochi. He won from Mattancherry division in 2005 and 2015 and from neighboring Kalvathy division in 2010 and 2020. But Mr Asharaf remains confident that his two decades as a councillor, including ten years as chairman of the standing committee on health, make him a familiar face beyond his usual turf.
Campaign by TK Ashraf of the UDF. | Photo credit: RK Nithin
Development remains his main campaign plank. After playing a crucial role as an independent in helping the LDF wrest power in 2020, he is now campaigning for a development agenda as the UDF candidate. “The decision to support LDF was based on a localized issue which is not difficult to explain. Moreover, my candidature is a proof of IUML’s confidence in me. I am confident of victory based on the work I have done over the years,” said Mr Asharaf.
However, Mr Harris claimed that Mr Asharaf’s limited contacts in the division have turned out to be a blessing in disguise, which he believes will work to the LDF’s advantage. He described his stint in the IUML as a mistake which he rectified by joining the CPI(M), claiming that he had always been a leftist. He claimed that the division was predominantly left-wing, with the UDF’s last victory being recorded in 2015 when it contested itself as an IUML candidate.
“We expect nothing but a smooth transition. BDJS is not playing a role at all. Winning in the division which is home to the district headquarters of the CPI(M) and the party’s mouthpiece Deshabhimani is also prestigious for us,” Mr Harris said.
NDA candidate TP Pradeep Kumar greets residents. | Photo credit: RK Nithin
Mr. Kumar, meanwhile, said that neither the LDF nor the UDF had helped improve conditions in the division over the years. “People complain that councilors are seen only during election campaigns and then disappear. As things stand, the NDA has a very good chance of winning this time,” he said.
The delimitation hardly changed the division, which has more than 4,700 voters.
Published – 01 Dec 2025 20:11 IST
