PALAKKAD: The UDF has lost power in the Pirayiri panchayat in Palakkad after the BJP members voted in favour of the Left Front in the panchayat president election. The UDF, which had won 10 seats in the 21-member panchayat, had been holding the post of president for the last two and a half years. The Congress member had recently vacated the post of President as per the understanding between the Congress and the Muslim League. In the subsequent presidential election, BJP members voted in favour of the Left.

There are eight CPM members and three BJP members in the Pirayiri panchayat. With all of them voting in favor of the LDF candidate, the LDF seized power 11-10. Meanwhile, the UDF has alleged that the unholy relationship between the Left and the BJP has been exposed.