Aranmula: When a system breaks down, even a minister can’t escape. In Aranmula, Health Minister Veena George was swept away in the UDF wave. Abin Varkey reclaimed the constituency for the UDF by defeating her with a massive margin of 17,000 votes.

Aranmula had drawn statewide attention due to pre-poll surveys and exit polls, and Abin Varkey’s sweeping victory stood out. Amid a strong anti-incumbency wave across Kerala, Veena George — the only minister from the district — suffered a shocking defeat. In a constituency where a tight triangular contest and even a photo finish had been predicted, Veena failed to take the lead at any stage during counting.

Determined to regain their traditional stronghold, which they had lost twice consecutively, the Congress fielded Youth Congress All India General Secretary Abin Varkey. He went on to outshine Veena and secure a seat in the Assembly. The party’s strategy of reclaiming Orthodox Christian votes, which they believed had slipped away in previous elections, appears to have paid off.

In the old Aranmula constituency, from 1957 to 2006, the seat had gone in favour of the LDF only four times. In 1996 and 2006, internal rifts within the UDF had benefited the LDF. After delimitation, the UDF won in 2011, but the trend shifted thereafter. In 2016, the LDF fielded journalist-turned-politician Veena George, who won by 7,646 votes. Her 2021 victory, with a record margin of 19,003 votes, even surprised Left supporters and made her the CPM’s first woman minister from the district.

While Veena had managed to secure a section of traditional Congress-backed Orthodox votes in the previous election, the Congress successfully reclaimed them this time through Abin.

Analysts point out that leading a department that faced significant criticism over the past five years, along with recent protests such as the black flag demonstrations in Kannur, worked against Veena. The broader anti-incumbency sentiment against ministers also played a role in her defeat.

After securing 64,523 votes in 2016 and 74,950 in 2021, Veena George saw a sharp decline this time, losing over 30,000 votes.