Kochi: The political battle for the Ayyappankkavu division of the Kochi Municipal Corporation has taken shape with all three major political fronts fielding first-time contenders for the upcoming bypoll.
However, the result is unlikely to have any significant impact on the balance of power in the civic body, where the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) enjoys a comfortable majority.
Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate P K Usman (51), and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Bejoy K D (52) submitted their nomination papers on Wednesday to the corporation’s accounts officer, who is functioning as the assistant returning officer, at the civic body’s headquarters.
The UDF candidate, 77-year-old Ajith Kumar A K, filed his nomination on Thursday, the final day for filing nominations. All three candidates are enrolled voters in the Ayyappankkavu division.
The bypoll has been necessitated by the resignation of former councillor and deputy mayor Deepak Joy, who vacated the corporation seat after being elected from the Thripunithura Assembly constituency in the 2026 Legislative Assembly elections.
With the Ayyappankkavu seat vacant, the 76-member corporation council currently has 75 councillors. The UDF commands a clear majority with 47 seats, including one independent ally. The LDF has 22 councillors, while the NDA has six.
Despite being newcomers to the electoral contest, all three candidates have organisational experience within their respective parties.
LDF candidate P K Usman is currently a member of the Ernakulam Central Local Committee. He had earlier served as secretary of the former Ernakulam North Local Committee.
His candidature was cleared by the Ernakulam area committee and the district committee following a recommendation from his local unit.
The UDF has fielded Ajith Kumar A K, who has held several organisational positions in the Congress. He has served as secretary of the Thrikkanarvattom Mandalam Committee and as secretary of the Ernakulam North Block.
At 77, Kumar is the oldest among the three candidates contesting the by-election.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Bejoy K D, who has been active in the party’s district organisation. He has served as co-convenor of the BJP’s district media cell.
The contest assumes significance for the three fronts as Ayyappankkavu has remained a dependable UDF stronghold since 2000.
In last year’s local body elections, Deepak Joy retained the division comfortably, securing 54.62% of the total votes. He defeated his nearest rival and CPM candidate Santhosh Joseph Poothullil by a margin of 1,183 votes.
In the 2020 civic elections, the UDF had won the division through candidate Mini Dileep, who held off a strong challenge from V4Kochi candidate Ashley Rose. Rose finished second in that election.
With all three major fronts opting for new faces, the by-election is set to test whether the UDF can retain its long-standing hold over Ayyappankkavu or whether the LDF or BJP can make gains in the division.
