The Left Democratic Front (LDF) managed to contain its losses in the Palakkad district of Kerala, even as the coalition faced an adverse verdict across the state in the assembly elections. Of the 12 constituencies in the district, the LDF retained seven seats, a decline from the 10 it had secured in the previous election.
UDF Gains Ground
The United Democratic Front (UDF) improved its tally to five seats in the district. The UDF retained the Mannarkkad and Palakkad constituencies while capturing Kongad, Chittur, and Thrithala from the LDF. In Mannarkkad, IUML candidate A Shamsudheen won by a margin of 23,903 votes. Among the gains for the UDF, K A Thulasi (Kongad) won by 9,442 votes, Sumesh Achuthan (Chittur) by 6,510 votes, and V T Balram (Thrithala) by 8,385 votes.
Reduced Margins for LDF Incumbents
Despite retaining a majority of seats, LDF candidates saw reduced victory margins in several constituencies compared to the previous election. In Tarur, CPM candidate P P Sumod retained the seat with a margin of 11,910 votes, down from 24,531 votes earlier. In Malampuzha, A Prabhakaran won by 19,721 votes, compared to 25,734 in the last election. In Pattambi, CPI's Muhammed Muhsin won by 9,442 votes. CPM's P Mammikkutty secured Shoranur with a margin of 16,517 votes, while A Preman won Nenmara by 3,305 votes. In Alathur, LDF candidate T M Shashi won by 8,583 votes.
In Ottapalam, LDF's K Premkumar recorded the highest margin among Left candidates in the district, winning by 26,777 votes. The reduced margins and loss of seats indicate a noticeable shift in voter sentiment compared to the previous assembly election.
