Kerala Assembly Elections: Left sweeps Kozhikode

KOZHIKODE: The city was beaming with calculations from the morning itself. At the mofussil bus station, passengers were waiting impatiently in front of the television. The streets were almost empty, except for some bikers carrying red flags, sure of A. Pradeep Kumar's victory.

Kozhikode North was one of the sure bets for the LDF when their favourite candidate tried his luck for the third time in a row. The UDF camp, especially the Congress and the IUML, were comparatively lethargic, as they were not equipped for a win here and had high doubts over M.K. Muneer’s chances in the South.

Police had restricted vehicles to JDT Islam Vellimadukunnu, the lone counting station in the district. Counting started at 8 am and reporters gathered at the station. By 9 am, the first signs were out. While Kozhikode North, Balussery, Elathur, Nadapuram and Koyilandy, maintained a steady lead, the signs from Kuttiadi and Vadakara were mixed.

Though Manayath Chandran was leading in the first half, C.K. Nanu, retained the seat. But K.K. Lathika could not keep Kuttiady. By around 10.30 am, the first winner from Kozhikode was declared. George M. Thomas defeated V.M. Ummer Master by a margin of 3,008 votes. A.K. Saseendran, sitting MLA of Elathur and another sure bet of the LDF, was stationed at the counting station from the morning.

When the huge screen announced his win, he came to the crowd and shook hands. As soon as the LDF secured an absolute majority, C.K. Nanu and Karat Razak joined at the counting station. Supporters garlanded them at the entrance and started shouting slogans. The city got exhilarated, people lined up for the victory march with red banners, flags and hats. LDF has improved on their 2011 status of 10 - 3 to 11 - 2.