Thiruvananthapuram, 05 May (H.S.):P. K. Kunhalikutty of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has registered a historic victory in the Kerala Assembly elections, securing the highest-ever winning margin in the state's electoral history.
Contesting from Malappuram, Kunhalikutty won by a massive margin of 85,327 votes, surpassing all previous records.
He is among nine candidates in this election who crossed the 50,000-vote margin mark, reflecting a decisive mandate in several constituencies. Notably, the second and third highest margins were also secured by IUML candidates. PMA Sameer won from Tirurangadi with a margin of 63,387 votes, while Abid Hussain Thangal recorded a margin of 62,638 votes.
In total, six IUML candidates crossed the 50,000 mark, underlining the party's strong performance in its traditional strongholds. The Congress also saw three of its candidates registering margins above 50,000. These include Adv. M. Rahmathulla (Manjeri) with 57,887 votes, T. P. Ashraf Ali (Kondotty) with 56,017 votes, and Aryadan Shoukath (Nilambur) with 54,851 votes.
Other major winners include Chandy Oommen (Puthuppally) with 52,907 votes, T. V. Ibrahim (Vallikkunnu) with 51,289 votes, and Uma Thomas (Thrikkakara) with 50,211 votes.
The previous record for the highest victory margin in Kerala was held by K. K. Shailaja, who had won from Mattannur in the 2021 Assembly elections with a margin of 60,963 votes. That record has now been comfortably surpassed.
In Malappuram, Kunhalikutty polled 130,666 votes, while his nearest rival, K. T. Mujeeb Rahman of the NCP, secured 45,934 votes. The BJP candidate, Ashwathi, managed 9,030 votes.
At the other end of the spectrum, some constituencies witnessed nail-biting finishes. C. Ravindranath of the CPI(M) recorded the narrowest victory margin in this election, defeating T. N. Prathapan in Manalur by just 126 votes. In Azhikode, K. V. Sumesh won with a slender margin of 349 votes, while in Kazhakkoottam, V. Muraleedharan opened the BJP's account with a narrow victory margin of 428 votes.
Historically, the narrowest victory margin in Kerala Assembly elections was recorded in 2001, when A. A. Aziz won the Iravipuram seat by just 21 votes. The second-lowest margin was registered in Perinthalmanna, where Najeeb Kanthapuram won by 38 votes.
The wide variation in victory margins-from record-breaking landslides to razor-thin wins-highlights the diverse electoral dynamics across Kerala in this election.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman