Ganesh Kumar alleges UDF-BJP vote-trading deal behind Pathanapuram defeat

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former minister and Kerala Congress (B) leader K B Ganesh Kumar has alleged that a vote-trading deal between the UDF and BJP led to his defeat in the Pathanapuram Assembly constituency. He made the allegation through a Facebook post.

Ganesh Kumar pointed out that the BJP had secured 11,700 votes in Pathanapuram in 2016 and 12,398 votes in 2021. In the 2025 local body elections, the party’s vote count in the constituency reportedly rose to around 23,000. However, in the latest Assembly election, despite the BJP winning three seats in the state, the NDA candidate in Pathanapuram managed to secure only 7,031 votes.

He alleged that the BJP handing over the seat to its ally, Twenty20, which has little presence in Pathanapuram, was part of a strategy to shift votes. According to him, even in panchayat wards where the BJP had previously won, the NDA candidate failed to get even double-digit votes this time, which he described as proof of a “deal” between the UDF and BJP. Ganesh Kumar further claimed that similar vote-trading arrangements had taken place in several parts of Kerala to defeat the LDF.

Representing Pathanapuram since 2001, Ganesh Kumar was defeated this time by Congress candidate Jyothikumar Chamakkala.

Ganesh Kumar's Facebook post 'UDF-BJP deal in Pathanapuram too

In the 2016 Assembly election, BJP candidate Bheeman Raghu received 11,700 votes in Pathanapuram. In 2021, the BJP candidate secured 12,398 votes. In the 2025 local body elections alone, the BJP received around 23,000 votes from the constituency. But this time, despite the BJP winning three seats in the state, the NDA candidate in Pathanapuram got only 7,031 votes. Moreover, the seat was contested by the Twenty20 party on behalf of the BJP, which has no real presence in Pathanapuram.

Even in several panchayat wards where the BJP had won in the local body elections, the NDA candidate could not secure even double-digit votes this time. That itself makes the situation clear. The NDA alliance was not even active in the campaign. As part of a UDF-BJP deal, both sides worked against the LDF in Pathanapuram as well. Their deal began when the seat was given to Twenty20 under the jackfruit symbol. Similar deals took place in many parts of the state. The vote shares received by the parties clearly show this.

In all three constituencies won by the BJP in Kerala, the LDF finished second, and the BJP managed to win by very small margins. In all three seats, the Congress ended up in third place. In those constituencies, the Congress did not even receive the number of votes it had secured in the previous Parliament and local body elections.