Kottayam, May 4 (PTI) LDF leader and Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K Mani suffered defeat in the party’s stronghold of Pala here in the Kerala Assembly elections on Monday.
UDF-backed Independent candidate Mani C Kappen retained the seat by defeating Mani by a margin of 2,991 votes.
Pala witnessed a triangular contest, with the BJP fielding its state vice-president Shone George.
Kappen secured 50,799 votes, while Mani polled 47,808 votes and George got 35,304 votes.
George has made major gains in the vote, affecting the prospects of both Kappen and Mani.
“We accept the mandate of the people and congratulate Kappen on his victory. There is a UDF wave in Kerala,” Mani said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said people wanted the UDF to return to power after 10 years of LDF rule, and that sentiment was reflected in the election results.
“At present, we cannot say what exactly went wrong. However, there will be detailed discussions within the party as well as the LDF on the defeat,” he said.
Kerala Congress (M), which contested in 12 seats, suffered defeat in all of them.
“Victory and defeat are part of democracy. Several political entities have made comebacks after defeats,” he said.
He said there might have been anti-incumbency in the state.
On his defeat in Pala, Mani said Kerala Congress (M) had put up a tough fight and that there would be introspection on what went wrong in the constituency. PTI TBA TBA ADB
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