Jubilant UDF workers celebrate their victory in Thrissur Corporation on Saturday. | Photo credit: KK Najeeb
The United Democratic Front (UDF) staged a decisive comeback in Thrissur Corporation after 10 years, winning an absolute majority and delivering a clear verdict against the much-hyped ‘Suresh Gopi effect’.
The Congress-led front won in 33 divisions and comfortably crossed the halfway mark in the 56-member council. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) won 11 seats while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won eight, with four independent candidates also making it to the corporation.
After being trapped in the opposition benches for two consecutive terms, the UDF this time tried to overcome the fatigue – and its determination did not go in vain. However, the UDF narrowly lost the Kottapuram division where the contest ended in a tie after both the UDF and NDA candidates got the same number of votes, forcing the decision to be decided by drawing lots.
Laly James, UDF candidate from Lalur division of Thrissur Corporation, celebrates her victory with daughter Maria on Saturday. | Photo credit: KK NAJEEB
The result marks a sharp turnaround from the 2020 elections, when the UDF dramatically lost power. These elections resulted in a rare deadlock, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning six seats and the remaining 49 split evenly between the LDF and the UDF with 24 each. The deadlock elevated independent councilor MK Varghese to the role of kingpin, eventually forcing him to become mayor.
A mandate for change
This time, however, the senior leadership of the UDF rendered the Independents politically insignificant, underscoring a clear and unequivocal mandate for change in the city.
Equally notable is the absence of any visible ‘Suresh Gopi’ wave. The BJP entered the civic polls with high hopes banking on Union Minister Suresh Gopi’s sweeping victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and his strong performance across the Thrissur Corporation divisions. Party leaders openly talked about “conquering Thrissur” by replicating the parliamentary success at the local body level.
However, this projection failed. While the NDA marginally improved its tally — from six seats in 2020 to eight this time — it failed to make the breakthrough it had promised, unlike its gains in Thiruvananthapuram. Still, the NDA managed to establish a notable presence in key areas of the city, signaling places of growing influence.
For the UDF, the verdict represents a decisive correction of what it once described as “slipping between the cup and the lip”. With voters rallying firmly behind the Congress-led alliance, the corporation seems poised for a clear changing of the guard. However, the defeat of sitting councilor and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee secretary John Daniel in Patturaikkal division at the hands of NDA candidate AV Krishnamohan was a setback for the UDF.
‘appropriate answer’
“People have been waiting for a befitting answer to 10 years of corruption, mismanagement and bad governance under the LDF. Issues like the menace of stray dogs and what people perceived as a tax onslaught brought citizens to the brink. This verdict is a clear answer to that,” said Rajan Pallan, former leader of opposition in the corporation.
Reacting to the setback, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) district secretary KV Abdul Khader acknowledged the need for introspection. “This defeat needs a serious and in-depth review. But the turnaround has largely taken place in the city. The LDF has maintained its dominance in the municipalities, grama panchayat, block panchayat and district panchayat. Organizational weakness in urban areas was a factor and the BJP’s advances in key areas of the city need to be scrutinized,” he said.
Published – 13 Dec 2025 19:31 IST
