All LDF Ministers except J Mercykutty Amma win Assembly elections

Thiruvananthapuram: All the Ministers of Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF Government except State Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma won the Assembly elections in the State.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan won by a margin of 50,123 votes against UDF candidate C Reghunath in Dharmadam seat.

Health Minister KK Shailaja won Mattannur seat by a margin of 60,963 votes while Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma lost to PC Vishnunath of Congress by 4,454 votes in Kundara seat.

The ruling LDF is all set to retain power as it is leading at least in 99 of the 140 assembly seats as counting is still in progress

Kerala Congress (M) candidate N Jayaraj won against Joseph Vazhakkan of Congress by 13,703 votes pushing NDA candidate and former Union Minister Alphonse Kannathanam to the third position.

Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran defeated BJP leader Sobha Surendran by a margin of 23,497 votes. Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel won by a margin of 3,066 votes in Thavanur.

Former Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor VK Prasanth won Vattiyootkavu seat by 21,555 votes defeating VV Rajesh of BJP.

V Sivankutty of CPM defeated BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan by 5,750 votes pushing Congress leader and Lok Sabha member K Muraleedharan to the third position. The BJP has lost its lone sitting seat Nemom. In 2016, NDA candidate O Rajagopal defeated CPM candidate V Sivankutty in Nemom with a majority of 8,671 votes.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala defeated LDF candidate R Sajilal by a margin of 12,568 votes in Haripad while former chief minister and AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy won by 8,504 votes defeating Jaik C Thomas of CPM.

Electricity Minister MM Mani won Udumbanchola defeating Congress candidate EM Augusty by 38,305 votes.

Revolutionary Marxist Party of India leader KK Rema won Vadakara seat by a margin of 7,491 votes.

Anoop Jacob of Kerala Congress (Jacob) emerged victorious in Piravom by a margin of 25,364 seats.

Independent candidate VP Sajeendran won Kunnathunad by a margin of 227 votes, defeating rival CPM candidate.

UDF candidate Mani C Kappan retained Pala seat by defeating LDF candidate and Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani by 11246 votes. Kerala Congress (J) leader PK Joseph defeated KI Antony of LDF by 20,259 votes in Thodupuzha.

BJP candidate and Metroman E Sreedharan was defeated by Congress leader Shafi Parambil by 3,863 votes in Palakkad.

BJP state President K Surendran was defeated by UDF candidate AKM Ashraf by 745 votes in Mancheswaram. K Surendran, who contested from his second seat Konni was pushed to third position. KU Janeesh Kumar of CPM defeated Congress leader Robin Peter by 8,508 votes in Konni seat.

Film star turned politician Suresh Kumar was settled in third position in Thrissur where LDF candidate P Balachandran defeated Padmaja Venugopal of Congress by 946 votes. Another film star turned politician M Mukesh of CPM won by 2,022 votes in Kollam seat defeating Congress leader Bindu Krishna.

Meanwhile, MP Abdusamad Samadani of UDF won the Malappuram Loksabha bypoll by a margin of 1,14,615 votes. (UNI)