Kerala local body bypolls: LDF emerges winner with 22 seats; UDF gets 17, BJP wins 5

The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) on Friday won 22 seats in the bye-elections conducted recently to 44 local body seats in Kerala.

The opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) won 17 seats while the BJP won five.

Elections were held in 33 village panchayat wards, six block panchayat wards and five municipality wards on Thursday.

The results come as a breather for LDF which suffered a drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala. The Left-led alliance had won just one out of 20 parliamentary seats in the state.

The Congress-led UDF swept the Lok Sabha polls in the state, winning 15 seats.