Date:12/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/12/stories/2006051214890400.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Achuthanandan, Chandy win by a margin of 20,000

Roy Mathew

Record win for Oomen Chandy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan won the Assembly elections by a margin of more than 20,000 votes from Malampuzha.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy won from his home constituency Puthuppally with a margin of nearly 20,000 votes. This is a record for Mr. Chandy who has been contesting from the constituency since 1970.

Unlike in the past, many LDF candidates have won with higher margins. Paloli Mohammed Kutty (CPI-M) wrested Ponnani from M.P. Gangadharan (DIC-K) by a margin of more than 28,000 votes.

The highest margin was recorded by the CPI(M) candidate in Alathur, M. Chandran, who defeated his opponent A. Raghavan (DIC-K) by a margin of 47,671 votes. Going by the performance of the DIC(K) candidates, there is little doubt that people's ire was directed against that party.

Party president K. Muraleedharan lost to P.T.A. Rahim (LDF Independent) by about 7,500 votes. The IUML, which could boast of high margins in the past, was humbled this time.

League leader P.K. Kunhalikutty lost to young rebel, K.T. Jaleel (LDF Independent), who was expelled from the League, by 8,700 votes. The defeat of Public Works Minister M.K. Muneer and Education Minister E.T. Mohammed Basheer besides Mr. Kunhalikutty in their electoral fortress of Malappuram district comes as major set back for the League.

Even a supposedly close contest between P.J. Joseph (Kerala Congress-J) and P.T. Thomas (Congress) was called for a margin of 13,000 votes in favour of Mr. Joseph. Alphons Kannanthanam, who had resigned from the Indian Administrative Service to contest the elections, won with a majority of about 11,000 votes from Kanjirappally.

The RSP suffered a blow in the defeat of its State secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan at the hands of the former Minister G. Karthikeyan in Aryanad. But the margin of victory was only over 2,000 votes. Labour Minister Babu Divakaran lost to P.K. Gurudasan of the CPI(M) by about 11,000 votes while his colleague Fisheries Minister Dominic Presentation conceded 6,000 more votes to his opponent.