Left Front candidates and film actors KB Ganesh Kumar (left) and Mukesh Left Front candidates and film actors KB Ganesh Kumar (left) and Mukesh

In what was a fierce triangular fight among three well-known film actors in Pathanapuram constituency, LDF candidate KB Ganesh Kumar has emerged as the winner. In the constituency situated in a corner of Kollam district, Kumar, a former actor and a minister in the Oommen Chandy government, was pitted against popular actors Jagadish of the Congress and Bhiman Raghu of the BJP. While Jagadeesh has mainly essayed comedy roles in Malayalam films, Raghu was known for his cinematic performances as a villain.

Throughout the election campaign, Pathanapuram was always in the spotlight for its presence of the three actors who did not waste opportunities to take potshots at each other. Although all three of them exuded confidence of a win, it was Kumar who pulled through eventually with a comfortable margin of nearly 25,000 votes. While Kumar polled 74,429 votes, Jagadish could only capture 49,867 votes with Bhiman Raghu coming in the third position.

WATCH VIDEO | Election Results 2016: Editors Analyse How The Parties Fared



The highlight of the election campaign in Pathanapuram was when mega star Mohanlal came to attend an election rally of Kumar. A day later, Jagadish appeared emotional in front of reporters complaining that Mohanlal should not have attended Kumar’s rally as Pathanapuram was a special constituency where all three actors were contesting. Both Jagadish and Mohanlal have acted together in several films. Many believe that the presence of Mohanlal, who enjoys massive influence in the state, could have tilted scales in the favour of Kumar.

With the victory, Kumar retained Pathanapuram, a seat that he has come to represent since 2001. Ahead of the state elections, Kumar was nominated by the Left front in Pathanapuram after his party broke ranks with the UDF. Kumar was the Minister for Forests, Sports and Cinema till April, 2013.

Also, joining Kumar in the state assembly is another popular actor Mukesh, who achieved victory as an LDF candidate in the Kollam constituency. Mukesh’s victory margin of 18,000 votes has come against Sooraj Ravi of the Congress.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd