Palakkad: The local body elections in Kerala delivered a patchwork of politically significant outcomes across districts, with victories in high-profile wards underscoring the fragmented and competitive nature of grassroots politics in the state.
In Palakkad district, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) registered a notable win in Ward 13 of Ongalloor Panchayat, the area where Congress MP Shafi Parambil owns a residence. SDPI candidate Anila Ashokan secured the seat with a convincing majority of 248 votes, marking a significant gain for the party in a ward that has drawn attention due to its association with a sitting Member of Parliament.
Elsewhere in the district, the United Democratic Front (UDF) emerged victorious in the ward of former SFI state secretary P. M. Arsho. The UDF candidate won Ward 6 of Thachampara Panchayat by a narrow margin of 64 votes, reflecting a closely fought contest and reinforcing the UDF’s presence in the area.
In a separate and politically sensitive result, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scored a win in Ward 7 of Aranmula Panchayat, a ward linked to senior CPI(M) leader A. Padmakumar, a former MLA and former Devaswom Board president. Padmakumar is currently in judicial custody as an accused in the Sabarimala gold robbery case. BJP candidate Usha R. Nair won the ward with a majority of 212 votes, a result that has drawn attention given the prominence of the leader associated with the constituency.
Taken together, the outcomes highlight the evolving political dynamics at the local level, where party loyalties are increasingly influenced by local factors and candidate profiles. The results from these wards underline how Kerala’s local body elections continue to produce nuanced verdicts that do not always align with broader state-level political narratives.