Thiruvananthapuram, May 4 (PTI) Thirteen members of the 21-member LDF cabinet led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were defeated in the Kerala Assembly elections as the ruling front suffered a major setback across the state.
Of the 21 ministers, only the Chief Minister, K Rajan (Revenue), G R Anil (Civil Supplies), K N Balagopal (Finance), P Prasad (Agriculture), and Saji Cherian (Cultural Affairs) emerged victorious.
Among the key losers was Health Minister Veena George, who was contesting from Aranmula for the third time.
George, who had faced criticism over multiple alleged medical negligence incidents during the final year of the LDF government, lost to Congress candidate Abin Varkey by a margin of 18,985 votes.
Varkey secured 70,083 votes against George’s 51,098, while senior BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan finished third with 34,983 votes.
In a surprise result, Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, considered among the more popular cabinet members, lost to Congress candidate Nattakom Suresh by 19,752 votes in Ettumanoor, Kottayam.
Education Minister V Sivankutty put up a close fight against BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Nemom constituency in Thiruvananthapuram but lost by over 3,500 votes.
Another high-profile defeat was that of Kerala Congress (B) leader and Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar, who suffered defeat for the first time in his electoral career since 2001.
He lost to Congress candidate Jyothi Kumar Chamakkala by 8,310 votes.
LDF Minister Roshy Augustine of Kerala Congress (M) also suffered a heavy defeat in Idukki, losing to Congress candidate Roy K Paulose by 23,822 votes.
Industries Minister P Rajeev was defeated in Kalamassery in Ernakulam district, losing to IUML leader V E Abdul Gafoor by 16,312 votes.
CPI leader and minister J Chinchurani lost to Congress candidate M M Naseer by over 7,400 votes in Chadayamangalam.
Veteran leader and minister Kadannappally Ramachandran of Congress (Secular) was defeated by Congress candidate T O Mohanan by over 18,530 votes.
Minister O R Kelu lost to Congress candidate Usha Vijayan by 10,543 votes in Mananthavady, Wayanad.
Another surprise defeat was that of NCP (SP) leader and minister A K Saseendran, who lost by 12,162 votes in Elathur, Kozhikode, to Congress candidate Vidya Balakrishnan.
Local Self-Government Minister M B Rajesh was another casualty of the UDF wave, losing to Congress leader V T Balram by 8,385 votes.
Higher Education Minister R Bindu lost to Kerala Congress leader Thomas Unniyadan in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur district, by 10,212 votes.
Sports Minister V Abdurahiman, contesting from Tirur in Malappuram, lost to IUML’s Kurukkoli Moideen by 24,137 votes. PTI TBA SSK
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