End of an era? LDF worker shaves his moustache after Pathanamthitta loss | Watch

The symbolic act came as the UDF delivered a decisive blow to the Left in the district, breaking a long-standing political pattern and wresting control of key local bodies from the LDF.

A dramatic personal moment captured the mood of the Left Democratic Front’s setback in Pathanamthitta on Saturday, when LDF worker Babu Varghese shaved off his trademark moustache after the party failed to retain the Pathanamthitta Municipality.

Varghese had publicly vowed ahead of the Kerala local body elections that he would shave his moustache if the LDF lost the municipality.

LDF party worker Babu Varghese, who had vowed to shave his moustache if the LDF failed to win the Pathanamthitta Municipality, has now gone through with it after the party’s defeat. #Pathanamthitta#LDF#KeralaLocalBodyElection2025#KeralaLocalBodyElectionpic.twitter.com/gxQ9dKFQSt

— Harish M (@chnmharish) December 13, 2025

The symbolic act came as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) delivered a decisive blow to the Left in the district, breaking a long-standing political pattern and wresting control of key local bodies from the LDF.

In Pathanamthitta district, the UDF secured a comfortable majority in the 16-member district panchayat, winning 12 seats, while the LDF’s tally plunged to five from 12 in the previous election.

In addition, the Congress-led coalition captured control of 34 grama panchayats and seven block panchayats, alongside significant gains in the municipal segment, winning three municipalities, two of which were earlier held by the Left.

Among the notable victories was that of Sreenadevi Kunjamma, who switched allegiance from the CPI to the Congress shortly before the polls and went on to win the Pallickal division as a UDF candidate.

Notably, the developments in Pathanamthitta reflect a wider trend across Kerala, where the UDF emerged as the dominant force in the local body elections, dealing a significant setback to the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

The UDF won control of a majority of municipal corporations, municipalities, block panchayats and gram panchayats across the state. It secured 54 of the 87 municipalities and four of the six municipal corporations, while also taking a commanding lead in the three-tier panchayat system.

Compared to the 2020 civic polls, the UDF improved its performance sharply, leading in 8,020 of the 17,337 grama panchayat wards, 1,241 of the 2,267 block panchayat wards and 195 of the 346 district panchayat wards.

The LDF, meanwhile, suffered losses at all levels, including the loss of four out of the five municipal corporations it previously controlled. These included major setbacks in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, where the Left had ruled uninterrupted for 45 and 25 years respectively.

Adding to the political churn, the BJP-led NDA wrested control of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation from the CPI(M), marking the party’s biggest urban breakthrough in Kerala.

The NDA won 50 seats, just one short of a clear majority, opening up the possibility of the BJP getting its first Mayor in the state. Retired DGP and former IPS officer R Sreelekha, who won from the Sasthamangalam ward, has emerged as a frontrunner for the post.

The results also suggested that the LDF’s last-minute welfare announcements, including hikes in social security pensions, increased honorariums for ASHA workers and new financial schemes, failed to sway voters.