Workers of the Left Democratic Front celebrate on Saturday after the front retained the Kozhikode Corporation in the local polls. | Photo credit: K. Ragesh
The United Democratic Front (UDF) breached many strongholds of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) made impressive gains in urban areas when the results of local polls in Kozhikode district were declared on Saturday.
Although the LDF just managed to retain power in the 76-member Kozhikode Corporation Council, winning eight of the 12 block panchayats, it narrowly lost the district panchayat, handing over its dominance in the grama panchayats to the UDF. In the municipalities, the scenario of 2020 was repeated as the LDF was elected to power in Mukkom, Koyilandy and Vadakara and the UDF won in Ramanattukara, Feroke, Payyoli and Koduvally.
In the 28-member district panchayat, the LDF won 13 divisions and the UDF won 14. The Azhiyur division went to the Revolutionary Marxist Party, which formed an alliance with the UDF for the elections. In the block panchayats, the UDF has won two divisions and there is a tie in the other two. The UDF also prevailed in 39 gram panchayats while the LDF could only win 27. There is a tie in the other four panchayats.
UDF candidates KC Shobhita (Malaparamba) and Soufiya (Vellayil) celebrate victory in Kozhikode Corporation polls on Saturday. | Photo credit: K. Ragesh
Five years ago, the LDF managed to win both the Kozhikode Corporation (51 seats in the 75-member council) and the district panchayat (18 seats in the 27-member council) with a two-thirds majority. The Left parties also swept 10 out of 12 block panchayats and 43 out of 70 gram panchayats.
However, the LDF could not continue its dream run in the district this time. In Kozhikode Corporation, where the Left parties were in power for about five decades, it managed to win 34 seats. The UDF improved its performance by 26 seats and the NDA almost doubled its tally to 13 seats. The others won three mandates. Among those who lost were CP Musafar Ahmed, LDF mayoral candidate and incumbent deputy mayor, and PM Niyas, UDF mayoral candidate, LDF councilors MC Anil Kumar and C. Rekha and former councilor T. Sujan.
Anti-state sentiment and perceived communal undercurrents are among the reasons for the LDF’s poor showing in some of its traditional strongholds in the district.
Sreeja C. Nair, NDA candidate in Kozhikode Corporation’s Mavoor Road ward, celebrates her victory with party workers in Kozhikode on Saturday. | Photo credit: K. Ragesh
The UDF and the BJP are also learned to have benefited from their campaign targeting the Sabarimala gold theft case. However, the LDF’s “tactical tie-up” of the UDF with the Jamaat-e-Islami Hindu-backed Welfare Party of India (WPI) and Rahul Mamkootathil’s sexual abuse allegations do not seem to have made much of an impact. Meanwhile, WPI won four seats on its own in Mukkom municipality.
Published – 13 Dec 2025 21:30 IST
