Victory a tribute to Sivan, says Mayor

Congress alleges vote trading by BJP, CPI(M); terms win a ‘technical one’

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) win in the Gandhi Nagar division of the Kochi Corporation was a tribute to former councillor K.K. Sivan who had earned a place in the minds of people, said Mayor M. Anilkumar.

LDF workers, led by CPI(M) leaders C.N. Mohanan and C.M. Dinesh Mani, worked overtime to ensure the victory of the front’s candidate Bindu Sivan. The LDF-led Kochi Corporation council had kick-started a series of development activities in the division including the rehabilitation of the residents of P&T Colony. The council will take forward the projects and make Gandhi Nagar a model division in the Kochi Corporation, said Mr. Anilkumar in a statement.

Meanwhile, Ernakulam District Congress Committee president Muhammad Shiyas termed the LDF win in the division as a technical one, which according to him, was won by engaging in vote trading and malpractices. The CPI(M) had enrolled a large number of bogus votes in the two divisions of the two civic bodies in the district which went to polls. In Gandhi Nagar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate polled only 191 votes against the 481 it had bagged last time. The CPI(M) had entered into a secret understanding with the BJP to shift its votes to the latter when bypoll will be conducted in the Ernakulam South seat, a seat held by the saffron party last time, he said.