Parties anxiously wait for bypoll results in Kerala

PTI Thiruvananthapuram: With just a day remaining for the results of the three byelections in the state Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and Chelakkara and Palakkad assembly seats the major political parties, Congress, BJP, and CPI(M), are anxiously awaiting the outcome. The Congress-led UDF is hopeful of a resounding victory for AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Wayanad, where she is making her electoral debut in the hill constituency previously held by her brother Rahul Gandhi, as well as retaining the Palakkad assembly seat. The UDF also aims to capture the Chelakkara assembly constituency, asserting that they can capitalise on what they claim to be growing anti-incumbency against the CPI(M)-led LDF government in the state.

Meanwhile, the LDF is focused on retaining Chelakkara, a traditional Left stronghold, with a significant margin. They are also aiming to improve their performance in the Palakkad and Wayanad seats. The BJP, on the other hand, is eyeing securing a presence in the Kerala Assembly by capturing the Palakkad constituency, where it finished second in the last two Assembly elections. The saffron party is also seeking to gain political traction by improving its performance in Wayanad. The counting of the votes will take place on November 23. The by-election in Wayanad was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat to represent Raebareli in the Lok Sabha. Priyanka is contesting against the LDF's Sathyan Mokeri, the BJP's Navya Haridas, and 13 other candidates. The voter turnout in the Wayanad by-election was recorded at 64.72 per cent, a significant eight-percentage- point drop from the 72.92 per cent turnout in the 2021 general election. When Rahul Gandhi first contested the seat in 2019, the turnout was 80.33 per cent. Rahul's victory margin in the recent Parliament election was over 3.5 lakh votes, compared to over 4.3 lakh votes in 2019. The lower-than-expected turnout has left the UDF concerned about a possible decline in Priyanka's majority in this Congress stronghold. UDF leaders believe that LDF and BJP voters stayed away from the polls as the outcome was seen as predictable.

However, both the LDF and BJP have alleged that the low turnout was due to the by-election being imposed on the people of Wayanad by the Congress. Congress leader and Sulthan Bathery MLA I C Balakrishnan, who was in charge of Priyanka's campaign in the hill constituency, dismissed the predictions made by LDF and BJP.