Candidate in hiding wins big in Kerala local body polls without campaigning for a single day

Thamarassery: A first-time candidate in the local body elections, who could not step out even for a single day of campaigning or personally submit his nomination papers and was forced to contest the election while in hiding, has registered a stunning victory. UDF candidate Vezhupur Naduvilpeedika Sainul Abideen, alias Kudukkil Babu, achieved this rare feat in his very first election from Karingamanna, the newly formed 11th ward of the Thamarassery Grama Panchayat.

Babu Kudukkil had been named as an accused in a case registered on September 21, alleging trespass and violence at the Fresh Cut chicken slaughter waste plant at Kattippara Irachippara, and in another case related to a conspiracy to attack workers after trespassing into the plant during the Fresh Cut clash on October 21. In connection with these cases, the Thamarassery police had earlier issued a lookout circular against him. It was while he was in hiding thereafter that Babu Kudukkil, who is the chairman of the Iruthullippuzha Protection People’s Action Committee, was fielded as the Muslim League candidate.

With the assistance of League workers and supported by a certificate attested by a gazetted officer, he submitted his nomination papers while remaining in hiding. In his absence, UDF workers went door to door in the ward seeking votes on his behalf. Many voters belonging to the protest committee were also in hiding, like the candidate. In addition, a former Block Congress vice-president and office-bearer of the same protest committee contested as a rebel candidate. Despite all this, when the results were announced, the candidate who contested from hiding secured a decisive victory with a majority of 225 votes.

In the Thamarassery Panchayat, where the UDF retained power with 17 seats against five, voters in Karingamanna gave 599 votes to Babu Kudukkil.

LDF-backed independent candidate Navas secured 374 votes, while independent candidate and former Block Congress vice-president Balakrishnan Pullangode received 68 votes. BJP candidate Chandran Nair polled 56 votes and Independent candidate Shameer received six votes.

The High Court had temporarily stayed Babu Kudukkil’s arrest in the Fresh Cut clash case. The court order, issued on the day before the results were declared, directed that he should not be arrested until January 5, when the petition comes up for consideration. The declaration of results and the emphatic victory the very next day came as a double delight for both Babu and the UDF.

Although the police had attempted to take the candidate into custody before the election, the effort did not succeed.

With the arrest stayed temporarily, local League leaders have said that Babu is expected to return within a few days.