A meeting of the Congress leadership at the corporation level expressed confidence that the United Democratic Front (UDF) would win back the Kochi Corporation with a large majority. The UDF has been able to resist sabotage attempts to undermine its prospects. Victory would be the result of disciplined work, they argued.
The meeting alleged that 200 to 300 UDF votes were deleted from the final voter list with the approval of officials. Most of these voters only realized their names were missing after arriving at the polling stations. The complaints could not be filed on time as the candidates and workers were busy with election-related duties during the finalization of the voter list, the front alleged.
The CPI(M) took advantage of the situation to introduce irregularities in the electoral roll in many divisions, the meeting alleged. Affected voters, candidates and the Congress party would legally challenge these irregularities. A complaint will also be lodged with the Election Commission, said Congress Parliamentary Party Vice-President K. Babu, MLA.
MLAs TJ Vinod and Uma Thomas were among those present.
The outgoing Mayor and General Convenor of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Election Committee for Kochi Corporation said that the LDF will retain power with a much better majority than in the last elections. He further said that the unprecedented unity in the LDF, which completed the selection of candidates without any hiccups, will be reflected in the verdict. While we campaigned on a positive note and fought the elections on a well-thought-out manifesto, the UDF campaigned on a completely negative note. The UDF also faces rebels in at least 19 divisions and an unholy tie-up with the BJP will also repel even their traditional supporters.
BJP district committee president KS Shaiju said the party will add seven more seats to its five seats to cross the double digit mark. He specifically named Thrikkanarvattom, Girinagar, Ravipuram, Ponnurunni East, Puthukkalavattom, Changampuzha and Edakochi South as wards to be added to the party kitty.
Published – 12 Dec 2025 0:08 IST
