Keralam local body bypolls: UDF retains Ayyappankkavu in Kochi Corporation

The United Democratic Front (UDF) retained the Ayyappankkavu division of the Kochi Corporation , albeit with a significantly reduced margin, in the Keralam local body by-election result declared on Tuesday (September 29, 2026).

Ajith Kumar A.K., 77, registered his maiden electoral victory in his debut contest, defeating P.K. Usman of the CPI(M) by a margin of 549 votes. Deepak Joy had won the seat in last year’s election by a margin of 1,183 votes. The bypoll became necessary after Mr. Joy was elected as the Tripunithura MLA. The victory has restored the UDF’s strength to 48 in the 76-member council.