In the Kerala bypoll results, the Opposition Congress-UDF successfully defended the Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kerala as their candidate, Chandy Oommen secured a victory with a lead of over 36,000 votes, PTI reported citing the Election Commission sources.
The party’s response to Oommen’s triumph characterized it as a win against the misrule of the LDF and a complete political victory for the Congress.
Also Read: Congress secures victory in Kerala’s Puthuppally seat; BJP wins both seats in Tripura
Speaking to reporters, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said, “The spectacular victory in the Puthuppally by-elections is a clear message to the Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan govt. Both BJP and CPM have been thrown by the people of Puthuppally…No by-election in Kerala has got such a landslide margin. The message is very clear…”
Right from the beginning, Oommen, the son of the late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, established a substantial lead, while his closest rival, the ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas, failed to secure a lead in any of the rounds.
In the recent bypoll, the Opposition Congress-UDF successfully defended the Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kerala as their candidate, Chandy Oommen, secured a resounding victory with a lead of over 36,000 votes, according to sources from the Election Commission.
The CPI(M)-led LDF lost ground even in its stronghold areas, and BJP candidate Lijin Lal was nowhere in the picture when the counting was over.
The party’s response to Oommen’s triumph characterized it as a win against the misrule of the LDF and a complete political victory for the Congress. Right from the beginning, Oommen, the son of the late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, established a substantial lead, while his closest rival, the ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas, failed to secure a lead in any of the rounds.
A by-election was necessitated in Puthuppally following the demise of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on July 18.
The Election Commission, less than a month after Chandy’s death on July 18, on August 8 had announced September 5 as the date of polling and September 8 for counting of the votes.
ommen Chandy’s son, Chandy Oomen is the UDF candidate while CPI(M) leader Jaick C Thomas is the Left candidate. BJP has fielded its senior leader from the district, Lijin Lal, as per PTI reports.
Also Read: Tripura Bypolls Result 2023: BJP wins Dhanpur, Boxanagar assembly seats
A few days later, the ruling LDF in the state announced DYFI leader Jaick C Thomas — who had in 2016 and 2021 contested from the area and lost to Oommen Chandy both times — as its candidate.
Oommen and Thomas called out each other for debates on the issues of development in the state and Puthuppally as well as an assessment of the ruling Left front’s governance.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 08 Sep 2023, 01:57 PM IST