LS polls: UDF retains Kerala, Tharoor wins by a small margin

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is probably the only state where a Congress-led alliance has reached a double digit.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front which had ruled the roost in Kerala in 2009 Lok Sabha elections, has won 12 seats; while the Left Democratic Front has won 7 seats in southern state. An Independent candidates too has registered a win.

After a neck and neck fight, Congress leader and Union Minister Shashi Tharoor defeated BJP's C Rajagopal in Thiruvananthapuram constituency by 15,470 votes.

PC Chacko faced the heat in Chalakudy as veteran Malayam actor Innocent surged ahead by 13,884 votes.

The Left did better than its 2009 Lok Sabha election performance as it won eight seats. In the last general election, it had won in 5 seats.

The union ministers who had luck by their side include E Ahamed and KV Thomas who retained Mallapuram and Ernakulam seats respectively.

In a nutshell while the Left has improved its tally, the Congress-led UDF, even as it maintains its might in Kerala, has taken a backseat with its tally going down by 4 seats.