India News | By-poll Results Boost for UDF, Relief for LDF, Disappointment for BJP in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 23 (PTI) The results of the by-polls held for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat and two Assembly constituencies in Kerala have come as a boost for the Congress-led UDF, a relief for the ruling CPI(M)-headed LDF, and a disappointment for the BJP-led NDA.

While Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra comfortably cruised to her maiden electoral win from the Wayanad seat, surpassing the 3.64-lakh lead achieved by her brother Rahul Gandhi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, the party's candidate in the Palakkad Assembly segment, Rahul Mamkootathil, secured a victory with a thumping margin.

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Priyanka won Wayanad constituency by a margin of over 4.1 lakh votes against LDF candidate, CPI's Sathyan Mokeri. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Wayanad, CPI's Annie Raja secured second place with 2,83,023 votes, while BJP's K Surendran finished third with 1,41,045 votes.

However, both fronts were unable to replicate their performance in the by-poll, despite a reduced voter turnout in the hill constituency. Youth Congress state president Mamkootathil won the Palakkad seat with a margin of over 18,000 votes, even making inroads into BJP stronghold areas, delivering a shock to the saffron party, which had been hoping to win the seat after finishing second in the past few elections.

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Adding to the BJP's woes, the Left improved its performance in the seat, narrowing the gap with the party. Providing further relief for the ruling LDF, CPI(M)'s U R Pradeep won the Chelakkara Assembly by-poll in Kerala, defeating Congress-led UDF's Ramya Haridas by a margin of 12,201 votes.

Although the Congress significantly reduced the large margin secured by the Left in the Chelakkara seat during the 2021 polls, it did not achieve the vote share it had garnered during the Lok Sabha elections in the Assembly segment.

"The excellent victories in Wayanad and Palakkad, along with the strong performance in Chelakkara, are the results of the collective teamwork within the UDF and Congress. This victory is dedicated to that teamwork," Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, told reporters in Kochi.

The UDF stated that strong public sentiment against both the central and state governments was reflected in the by-election results. Claiming that a strong anti-incumbency factor prevailed against the Left government in Kerala, Satheesan noted that over the past three years, by-elections were held for the Thrikkakara and Puthuppally Assembly seats, where Congress candidates secured record margins.

"Similarly, in Palakkad, Mamkootathil secured a margin nearly five times bigger than that of his predecessor and Congress leader Shafi Parambil," Satheesan added.

Dismissing claims of anti-government sentiment in the elections, CPI(M) State Secretary M V Govindan said, "If such sentiment existed, we wouldn't have secured a larger majority in Chelakkara."

He stated that while the UDF's vote share declined compared to the Lok Sabha elections, the Left retained its seat.

"This victory provides a clear indication of the direction Kerala politics is heading. The win in Chelakkara highlights the Left Front's potential to make significant gains in the upcoming local body and Assembly elections," he claimed. The CPI(M) leader alleged that the UDF was in alliance with communal forces.

"The SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami played a major role in Congress's victory in Palakkad. This is evident from their victory demonstrations there. The first victory procession in front of Palakkad Victoria College was not by the Congress but by the SDPI," Govindan said.

Senior CPI(M) leader and Finance Minister K N Balagopal also shared the view that the allegations of anti-incumbency had been proven baseless.

"People rejected this baseless campaign. The government is implementing developmental initiatives on a larger scale," he said, adding that the LDF made significant advancements in the by-polls.

Meanwhile, BJP State Chief K Surendran sought to downplay the setback suffered by the party in the by-polls and said it was a normal phenomenon for the saffron party to see a decrease in its votes during by-elections in the state.

"Everybody retained their sitting seats, and there was no major change. We expected that the BJP would win the Palakkad segment, and we contested for the victory," he told reporters.

Except for two by-polls--Aruvikkara and Neyyattinkara--the BJP's votes had decreased in all by-polls held in Kerala when examining the election history of the state, Surendran said.

He added that all the votes garnered by 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan as the BJP candidate in Palakkad during the 2021 Assembly polls were not political votes, but he received support cutting across political lines.

However, he acknowledged, "In Palakkad, there was a decrease in the number of votes. We will introspect about it." Surendran claimed that the party's candidate in the Chelakkara Assembly seat made a remarkable achievement by winning more than 30,000 votes, which is 10,000 votes higher than what the party had garnered in the previous Assembly polls.

The by-poll is considered crucial for the three fronts in Kerala as it was held a year ahead of the civic body elections in the state and one-and-a-half years before the Assembly elections.

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