The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) and the Opposition Congress won one assembly by-poll each in Kerala on Saturday. The Chelakkara and Palakkad had fallen vacant due to the resignations of lawmakers after they were elected to the Lok Sabha this year.
In Palakkad, Rahul Mamkootathil, 34, the Youth Congress state chief fighting his first election, defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s C Krishnakumar by a margin of 18,840 votes. It is the highest victory margin in the constituency since the first election in 1952. P Sarin, who fought as a CPI(M)-backed Independent finished third.
CPI(M) candidate and former lawmaker UR Pradeep beat Congress’s Ramya Haridas in Chelakkara in the neighbouring Thrissur district by 12,201 votes. It is the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF)’s seventh successive victory in Chelakkara since 1996. The BJP’s K Balakrishnan finished third.
In the run-up to the campaign, a hotel where Congress leaders were camping in Palakkad was raided at midnight in search of alleged black money in trolley bags. Allegations of fraudulent voters also marred the polls.
The Congress’s big victory margin signalled the party has regained ground it lost to the BJP in the 2021 assembly elections. The Congress was relying on the popularity and influence of Shafi Parambil, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Vadakara this year.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress’s big victory margin signalled the party has regained ground it lost to the BJP in the 2021 assembly elections. The Congress was relying on the popularity and influence of Shafi Parambil, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Vadakara this year.
{{/usCountry}}Mamkootathil said leaders of the party and the coalition took care of everything including the backend work. “This victory is a result of teamwork. When an ordinary worker like me gets so much love from the party, it lends strength to those looking to join the party.”
BJP state president K Surendran said there was only a small decline in their traditional vote base of around 3,000-4,000 votes. “We will introspect about this and make corrections. E Sreedharan [in 2021] was able to get support from our traditional voters as well as others who have admired him. We cannot expect to get that [support],” he said.
In Chelakkara, the CPI(M) managed a narrow lead of just over 5,000 votes in the Lok Sana elections. It was able to increase this to 12,201. The BJP increased its vote share by 5% from 2021.
CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindansaid the party’s win in Chelakkara confirms that there is no anti-incumbency. “It is clear that there is no anti-government sentiment here. If there was, we would not have won by a bigger margin than the Lok Sabha elections. Such sentiments are only in the minds of Congress and BJP leaders.”