Thiruvananthapura: The question of who would represent Pappanamcode ward was decided by 35 votes. It is not an insignificant lead, says the newly elected BJP councillor Asha Nath G.S. “We won even though LDF’s campaigning was backed by many of its heavyweights. Mayor V.K. Prasanth and CPM leader V. Sivankutty led the campaign. Power minister Kadakampally Surendran visited. They were in full force,” she said.

The previous councillor K. Chandran, Asha’s uncle, had won by a majority of 505 votes. When asked about the dent in majority, she said that the total number of votes that the BJP got had in fact gone up, this time. In all, 2,916 votes were marked against her name. CPM’s K Mohanan and UDF’s Arun Vishnu got 2,881 and 580 votes respectively.

A BSc (chemistry) graduate, Ms Asha has worked in a private firm. Later, she left her job. She was getting trained for PSC exams. She was fielded by the BJP following the death of Chandran in April. She said that drinking water issue in Pappanamcode will be her top priority.

“In many places, even though there are pipe connections, water supply was scant. Pipes often run dry in areas like Kalpaka gardens and Vivek Nagar,” she said and added that she will take forward every project and initiative which her uncle pursued. “There are roads that call for attention. Then, there is the garbage issue which needs to be solved,” she says.

Mohanan sees Congress hand

LDF lost in what can be termed as a neck-and- neck race in Pappanamcode. The loss was despite a strong campaign led by many LDF leaders. The front’s leaders allege that they suffered a loss because of UDF supporters shifting their votes to BJP.

K. Mohanan, the CPM candidate who lost by 35 votes, says, “In the council elections held in October, Congress had more than 860 votes. This time they have got only 580 votes. Clearly, the reason for BJP’s win is Congress supporting BJP.”

Former CPM MLA V. Sivankutty says that there is even a possibility of saffronisation of UDF workers. “The results of this bypoll should be evaluated seriously. The results indicate that the people who work for Congress locally might be turning loyal towards the BJP. KPCC and DCC leadership are not taking any precaution to prevent the mass exodus. There is also a possibility that Congress traded its votes,” he said.

Mayor V.K. Prasanth claimed that the LDF managed to bring down BJP’s majority. “BJP had won by a 505 majority in October 2015. It is no small feat,” he said. The total number of votes earned by both BJP and LDF in the bypoll is higher than the votes they earned in October 2015 elections. LDF votes rose from 2014 to 2881, while BJP votes rose from 2519 to 2916. The number of new voters added to the list is around 430.