KANNUR: Mattannur, popularly known as the fort of the Left, was shaken on Monday. In comparison with the previous poll results, the UDF has secured double number of seats in the Mattannur municipal polls this year. Today’s election results clearly point towards a serious challenge for the LDF, a front that had won huge majority in all the five polls, since the formation of the municipal council in 1997. On analyzing the vote differences between the two fronts in all the wards, the LDF has won a lead of only 4,000 votes.

A total of 111 candidates had contested in 35 seats. There are a total of 36,247 voters in the Matannur municipality, including 17,185 men, 19,060 women and two transgenders. When the results came out, the LDF won 21 seats and the UDF won 14 seats. However, LDF alleged that the UDF had attempted a communal polarization against them. The Muslim League has led such a polarization, alleged the CPM.

What needs to be noted is that Mattannur is the very same constituency that had elected former Health Minister K K Shailaja with a record majority. In the last assembly polls, Shailaja had won a majority of 60,000 votes. Meanwhile, K Rajatha secured victory in Edavelikkal, where Shailaja teacher casted her vote, with around 661 votes.

However, the fact that the LDF could not protect its fort despite running poll campaigns by ministers, including M V Govindan, P A Muhammad Riyas, Ahamed Devarkovil, CPM politburo member A Vijayaraghavan and others, has casted a shadow of disappointment on the party’s image.

Meantime, the UDF leadership is quite happy about their candidates’ performances. The party has doubled its seats in Mattannur. All the UDF activists across the state are also celebrating their achievement in the significant political war after the Thrikkakkara bypolls.

Till now, UDF's best performance in Mattannur was in the 2012 polls, when it had won a total of 14 wards. The achievement was a part of the UDF wave in the 2010 local body elections in the state. The seats went up from six to 14. However, it all stooped down in 2017. This year, the UDF’s prime agenda was to win back those lost seats and achieving that goal turns out to be the UDF’s biggest achievement in 2022.

Now, the UDF has captured eight seats in Mattannur, where the LDF once had complete dominance. One ward lost only by four votes. The UDF camp believes that if it had won four more seats, it could have formed the government here.

Meanwhile, the BJP, which had secured second place in some areas last time, failed to gather enough votes this year. Their only relief is the performance of A Madhusoodanan, the BJP candidate in the Mattannur town ward. He lost to UDF candidate K V Prashanth by 12 votes and came second in the race.

Mattannur was first raised to the status of a municipality in 1991. However, that year, the UDF government changed it to a panchayat again. Following which, the LDF approached the high court against the move and the municipality status was restored. However, due to lack of staff, Mattunnur did not function as a municipality for several years. The governance was led by a special officer. The next elections were held in 1997. Since then, elections are held here differently from other local self-government bodies.