Thiruvananthapuram, 13 Jan (H.S.):The United Democratic Front (UDF) has registered a significant victory in the Vizhinjam division of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, reclaiming a ward that had been held by the CPI(M) for the past two terms. Congress candidate K. H. Sudheer Khan emerged victorious, defeating CPI(M) nominee N. A. Naushad by a narrow margin of 83 votes in a keenly contested by-election.

With this win, the UDF’s strength in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has risen to 20 seats, providing a morale boost to the front at a time when local body politics in the capital city remains highly competitive. The result is also politically important as Vizhinjam had been viewed as a high-stakes battleground for all three major fronts.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had pinned high hopes on the Vizhinjam outcome, finished a distant third. BJP candidate Sarvashaktipuram Binu managed to secure only 2,437 votes, failing to make significant inroads despite an aggressive campaign. A BJP victory in Vizhinjam would have taken the party’s tally in the corporation from 50 to 51 seats, enabling it to secure a clear majority and govern the civic body on its own. At present, the BJP continues to run the corporation with the support of an independent councillor.

The contest was further complicated by the presence of rebel candidates from both the UDF and the LDF. Former councillor N. A. Rasheed, who contested as an LDF rebel, polled 118 votes. On the UDF side, Youth Congress leader Kisan Hussain entered the fray as a dissident candidate and reportedly secured over 400 votes. Despite this internal split in votes, the UDF managed to hold firm and clinch the seat—an outcome party leaders see as particularly reassuring.

For the Left Democratic Front (LDF), the defeat marks a notable setback, as it loses a ward it had comfortably won in the previous two elections. The loss underscores the growing volatility of urban local body politics in the capital region.

The by-election in Vizhinjam was necessitated after polling was postponed earlier following the death of a candidate, leading to heightened political attention on the ward. The final outcome has now altered the local political arithmetic, strengthening the UDF while simultaneously denying the BJP a decisive majority and dealing a blow to the LDF’s standing in the corporation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman