Updated Dec 28, 2020 | 17:09 IST
Arya Rajendran, who is a second-year BSc Maths student of the All Saints College, won from the Mudavanmugal ward, defeating her nearest Congress rival by a margin of 549 votes. Arya Rajendran becomes the youngest mayor of the country. | Photo Credit: ANI
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala s Arya Rajendran has become the youngest mayor of the country after her election to the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation at age 21. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] had on Sunday officially declared Rajendran as the party-led Left Democratic Front s mayoral candidate in the election to the post to be held on Monday.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After months of campaign by the United Democratic Front (UDF) and BJP almost destroyed the goodwill that the Pinarayi Vijayan government’s Covid-19 response had generated, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala registered a resounding win in the three-phase local body polls whose results were announced on Wednesday.
The LDF won the majority of district panchayats, block panchayats, gram panchayats and municipal corporations. The only consolation for the UDF was the slight upper hand it gained in municipalities. Though the BJP improved its tally from 2015, the party could not reach anywhere close to its ambitious plans.
The LDF won in 10 district panchayats against seven in 2015. Four out of the six corporations are also set to welcome LDF councils. The lion’s share of block panchayats, 108 out of 152, was also grabbed by LDF. It also won 514 of the 941 gram panchayats. UDF which won 375 gram panchayats is set to form the ruling council in 45 of 86 munic
Trade-off most evident in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, says K. Surendran
Bharathiya Janata Party State president K. Surendran said Congress workers had cross-voted in overwhelming numbers to help the Left Democratic Front (LDF) make gains in the local body polls in Kerala.
The trade-off between the Congress and the LDF to thwart the BJP was perhaps most evident in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation.
The vote share of the Congress had dipped steeply in the local self-government institutions wards captured by the LDF. The LDF and the United Democratic Front (UDF) had also marshalled the support of Islamist forces to defeat the BJP. The LDF had manipulated postal ballots to disadvantage the BJP.