Four former MLAs win, Twenty20 loses in panchayats
Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.Four out of the five former MLAs who contested in the 2025 Kerala local body election have won. Former Congress MLAs KS Sabarinatha and Anil Akkara and Left Democratic Front (LDF) MLAs KC Rajagopalan and R Latha Devi won in their respective wards. Meanwhile, EM Augusthy, a three-time MLA and a member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), lost with a margin of 60 votes in Kattappana municipality. Following his loss, Augusthy announced his retirement from politics.Sabarinathan, the UDF’s mayoral candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, won with 1119 votes. However, UDF lost the chance to govern the corporation, as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 50 out of 100 seats. Sabari, contesting from the Kowdiar ward, defeated NDA candidate S Madhusoodhanan Nair. Sabari represented the Aruvikkara constituency from 2015 to 2021. In 2021, he lost the Aruvikkara seat to the CPI(M)’s G Stephen.Anil Akkara, who earlier served as an MLA in Wadakkanchery, has now won in ward 15 of Adat panchayat in Thrissur. Anil has served as an AICC secretary and was recently appointed as the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary. He entered the Kerala Assembly in 2016 after defeating the CPM in Wadakkanchery. In the 2021 elections, he lost to CPM candidate Xavier Chittilappilly.EM Augusthy has been elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly three times, twice from the Udumbanchola constituency in 1991 and 1996, and once from the Peermade constituency in 2001. In this local body election, the UDF fielded him in the Irupathekkar ward in the Kattappana municipality, but he lost. “I respect the people’s verdict. I extend my congratulations and best wishes to those who have won. I realise that the time has come to bring an end to my political life that has spanned more than half a century,” he wrote on Facebook following his loss. KC Rajagopalan, a senior leader of the CPI(M), won the local body elections for ward 8 of the Mezhuveli grama panchayat in Pathanamthitta district. He served as the Aranmula MLA from 2006 to 2011. R Latha Devi, MLA from the Chadayamangalam constituency in 1996, has now won in the Chadayamangalam division of the Kollam district panchayat. Other prominent faces Congress candidate Vaishna Suresh, who had to approach the court after being removed from the voters’ list, secured an impressive win in Thiruvananthapuram – a Left stronghold. Vaishna defeated the LDF in the Thiruvananthapuram Muttada ward.Before she stood in the local body polls, Vaishna found that her name had been removed from the voters’ list, forcing her to approach the courts. Her name was restored on the list after the Kerala High Court’s intervention. The UDF alleged that her removal was politically motivated by their opponents and became a key point of their campaign. Her victory also marks the Congress’ first win in the ward in 25 years. A controversial candidate who hogged headlines was Fenni Nainan, a close aide of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil. The UDF candidate was pushed to third position in ward 8 of Adoor municipality. Days after UDF announced his candidature, Fenni’s name surfaced as a co-accused in the sexual harassment case against Rahul. Meanwhile, the NDA’s R Sreereka won in the Sasthalamgala ward of the Thiruvananthapuram corporation. She defeated CPI(M)’s Amrita R by 708 votes. Sreerekha was the first woman IPS officer when she joined the service in 1987. She retired in 2020 and joined the BJP. Setback to Twenty20 In a surprising turn of events, Twenty20 Kizhakkambalam, a not-for-profit organisation now turned political party, lost two of the four panchayats they held.Twenty20 had won Kizhakkambalam, Ainarakkad, Muzhavannur, and Kunnathnad panchayats in 2020. They’ve now lost to the UDF in Muzhavannur and Kunnathnad. Twenty20 is led by Sabu M Jacob, a businessman and chairman of Anna Kitext group. Twenty20 first contested in the 2015 local body election and won 17 out of 19 seats in the Kizhakkambalam grama panchayat.
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FOUR out of the five former MLAs who contested in the 2025 Kerala local body election have won. Former Congress MLAs KS Sabarinatha and Anil Akkara and Left Democratic Front (LDF) MLAs KC Rajagopalan and R Latha Devi won in their respective wards.
Meanwhile, EM Augusthy, a three-time MLA and a member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), lost with a margin of 60 votes in Kattappana municipality. Following his loss, Augusthy announced his retirement from politics.
Sabarinathan, the UDF’s mayoral candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, won with 1119 votes. However, UDF lost the chance to govern the corporation, as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 50 out of 100 seats.
Sabari, contesting from the Kowdiar ward, defeated NDA candidate S Madhusoodhanan Nair. Sabari represented the Aruvikkara constituency from 2015 to 2021. In 2021, he lost the Aruvikkara seat to the CPI(M)’s G Stephen.
Anil Akkara, who earlier served as an MLA in Wadakkanchery, has now won in ward 15 of Adat panchayat in Thrissur. Anil has served as an AICC secretary and was recently appointed as the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary. He entered the Kerala Assembly in 2016 after defeating the CPM in Wadakkanchery. In the 2021 elections, he lost to CPM candidate Xavier Chittilappilly.
EM Augusthy has been elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly three times, twice from the Udumbanchola constituency in 1991 and 1996, and once from the Peermade constituency in 2001. In this local body election, the UDF fielded him in the Irupathekkar ward in the Kattappana municipality, but he lost.
“I respect the people’s verdict. I extend my congratulations and best wishes to those who have won. I realise that the time has come to bring an end to my political life that has spanned more than half a century,” he wrote on Facebook following his loss.
KC Rajagopalan, a senior leader of the CPI(M), won the local body elections for ward 8 of the Mezhuveli grama panchayat in Pathanamthitta district. He served as the Aranmula MLA from 2006 to 2011.
R Latha Devi, MLA from the Chadayamangalam constituency in 1996, has now won in the Chadayamangalam division of the Kollam district panchayat.
Other prominent faces
Congress candidate Vaishna Suresh, who had to approach the court after being removed from the voters’ list, secured an impressive win in Thiruvananthapuram – a Left stronghold.
Vaishna defeated the LDF in the Thiruvananthapuram Muttada ward.
Before she stood in the local body polls, Vaishna found that her name had been removed from the voters’ list, forcing her to approach the courts. Her name was restored on the list after the Kerala High Court’s intervention.
The UDF alleged that her removal was politically motivated by their opponents and became a key point of their campaign. Her victory also marks the Congress’ first win in the ward in 25 years.
A controversial candidate who hogged headlines was Fenni Nainan, a close aide of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil. The UDF candidate was pushed to third position in ward 8 of Adoor municipality. Days after UDF announced his candidature, Fenni’s name surfaced as a co-accused in the sexual harassment case against Rahul.
Meanwhile, the NDA’s R Sreereka won in the Sasthalamgala ward of the Thiruvananthapuram corporation. She defeated CPI(M)’s Amrita R by 708 votes. Sreerekha was the first woman IPS officer when she joined the service in 1987. She retired in 2020 and joined the BJP.
Setback to Twenty20
In a surprising turn of events, Twenty20 Kizhakkambalam, a not-for-profit organisation now turned political party, lost two of the four panchayats they held.
Twenty20 had won Kizhakkambalam, Ainarakkad, Muzhavannur, and Kunnathnad panchayats in 2020. They’ve now lost to the UDF in Muzhavannur and Kunnathnad.
Twenty20 is led by Sabu M Jacob, a businessman and chairman of Anna Kitext group. Twenty20 first contested in the 2015 local body election and won 17 out of 19 seats in the Kizhakkambalam grama panchayat.
