Defying a long-standing political pattern in the district, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has scored a decisive breakthrough in Pathanamthitta, wresting control of the district panchayat and a majority of local bodies from the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
The Congress-led coalition, carrying forward its momentum from last year’s Lok Sabha elections, has won a clear majority in the district panchayat, besides securing control of 34 grama panchayats and seven block panchayats. The UDF also registered significant gains in the municipal segment winning three municipalities, including two that were earlier held by the LDF.
In the 16-member district panchayat, the UDF won a comfortable majority with 12 seats, while the LDF’s tally fell sharply to five from 12 in the previous election. Among the notable winners was Sreenadevi Kunjamma, who switched allegiance from the Communist Party of India (CPI) to the Congress at the eleventh hour and contested as a UDF candidate from the Pallickal division.
Pandalam with LDF
Of the four municipalities in the district, the UDF emerged ahead in Pathanamthitta, Thiruvalla and Adoor. However, in Thiruvalla, the coalition fell short of securing a clear majority. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (BJP-NDA), meanwhile, lost the Pandalam municipality where it had created history in 2020 by winning a simple majority. This time, the LDF took the lead with 14 seats, closely followed by the UDF with 11, while the NDA was restricted to nine seats.
At the same time, the NDA put up a strong performance in the Thiruvalla municipality, winning seven seats.
In the grama panchayat segment, the UDF won 34 of the 53 panchayats in the district, a sharp rise from its previous tally. The LDF was confined to 11 panchayats, down from 23 last time, while the NDA emerged victorious in four. The remaining four panchayats returned a hung verdict.
The UDF also tightened its grip on the block panchayats, winning seven of the eight blocks in the district, with Konni being the lone exception. The LDF retained only one block panchayat.
The BJP won six seats overall, including three in Pandalam and one each in Mallappally, Koipuram and Parakkodu, apart from securing 125 grama panchayat wards across the district.
Published – December 13, 2025 06:59 pm IST
