Kozhikode: Out of the total 19 ministers, more than a dozen were defeated as a strong anti-incumbency wave swept across the state, dealing a major blow to the LDF. Several ministers who were confident of retaining their seats suffered unexpected defeats amid the surge in favour of the Opposition parties.
The most shocking setback for the LDF came in Pathanapuram, where Transport minister K.B Ganesh Kumar, who had held the seat for 25 years since 2001, was defeated. UDF candidate Jyothi Kumar Chamakalla emerged victorious, ending Ganesh Kumar’s long-standing dominance.
Education Minister V. Sivankutty lost in Nemom to BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram district while Dairy Development Minister J. Chinchurani was defeated in Chadayamangalam in Kollam district. Health Minister Veena George suffered a decisive defeat in Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district, failing to take the lead at any stage of the counting process. Other prominent ministers who lost include Dewaosm minister V. N. Vasavan in Ettumanoor in Kottayam district, Roshy Augustine in Idukki district, P. Rajeev in Kalamassery in Ernakulam district, and R. Bindu in Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district. Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman lost in Tirur in Malappuram district, while A. K. Saseendran, O. R. Kelu, and Kadannappally Ramachandran were defeated in Elathur, Mananthavady, and Kannur respectively.
Meanwhile, seven ministers, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, managed to secure victories. Vijayan, who trailed in the first six rounds, eventually won from Dharmadam by over 19,000 votes.
In the 2021 election, he had secured a massive winning margin of over forty thousand votes. In Kottarakkara, P. A. Muhammed Riyas won by 1,012 votes, and in Beypore he secured victory by 7,487 votes. Revenue Minister K. Rajan (Ollur), G. R. Anil (Nedumangad), Saji Cherian (Chengannur), and P. Prasad (Cherthala) also retained their seats.
