Wayanad, Kerala: Vote Counting Begins for By-elections in Wayanad Lok Sabha, Palakkad, and Chelakkara Assembly Seats
The counting of votes for the recent bypolls in Kerala began at 8 am on Saturday, with the first round focused on postal ballots. The by-elections were held for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, as well as the Palakkad and Chelakkara assembly constituencies. While the Wayanad and Chelakkara bypolls took place on November 13, the Palakkad bypoll was postponed to November 20 due to the Kalpathi Radhotsavam festival.
In Wayanad, 16 candidates contested the by-election, with the key contenders being Congress-led UDF’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, making her electoral debut, CPI(M)-led LDF’s Sathyan Mokeri, a seasoned political figure, and Navya Haridas of the BJP-led NDA. Priyanka Gandhi is hoping to succeed her brother, Rahul Gandhi, who vacated the seat after opting to retain his Rae Bareli constituency following his victory in the 2024 general elections. Rahul had previously won Wayanad in 2019, and his resignation necessitated the bypoll.
The Palakkad bypoll saw 10 candidates in the fray, with the main contenders being Rahul Mamkootathil of the Congress-led UDF, C Krishnakumar from the BJP-led NDA, and P Sarin of the CPI(M)-led LDF. This by-election was triggered by the resignation of Congress’ Shafi Parambil, who vacated the seat after his election to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara in the 2024 general elections.
In the Chelakkara assembly bypoll, six candidates contested, with the primary competition between U R Pradeep of the CPI(M)-led LDF, former MP Ramya Haridas of the UDF, and K Balakrishnan of the BJP. The election was called after K Radhakrishnan of the CPI(M) was elected to the Lok Sabha from Alathur earlier this year.
As the counting progresses, the political landscape in Kerala’s three constituencies is set to shift, with significant implications for the strength of the major political alliances in the state.
