Kozhikode: In a surprising twist in the local body election result, the BJP has claimed an upset victory in Mayor Beena Philip’s ward, Pottammal Ward, of Kozhikode Corporation. The seat was contested by Reneesh T, the LDF candidate and current councillor of Puthiyara ward, making this a major setback for the ruling front.

The result has sent ripples through Kozhikode’s political landscape, as the BJP managed to wrest a traditional LDF stronghold, reflecting changing voter sentiments in the city.

Reneesh defeated the LDF candidate Adv Ankathil Ajay Kumar. In the last election, Beena Philip had secured victory here with a margin of 652 votes.

The BJP also triumphed in the newly created Mavoor Road division, where Sreej C Nair emerged victorious against the Congress mayoral candidate P M Niyas, who had contested from Paroppadi division. In Paroppadi, BJP’s Harish Pottangad won the seat.

Furthermore, the BJP captured Chalappuram ward, traditionally a UDF stronghold, with Anil Kumar K P defeating UDF’s V Sajeev. Chalappuram is a ward previously held by the Congress in CMP, where internal dissent had led to the resignation of 12 party members, including the local committee president M Ayub, who contested as a rebel candidate. In the last election, Congress candidate P Ushadevi had won here with a narrow margin of 113 votes.

These victories signal a major shift in Kozhikode’s political landscape, as the BJP makes inroads into seats traditionally dominated by the LDF and Congress.