Thiruvananthapuram: Following Rahul Gandhi’s decision to relinquish the Wayanad seat, Kerala faces upcoming by-elections for one vacant Lok Sabha seat and two Assembly seats, pending scheduling by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In the Wayanad constituency, Rahul Gandhi has opted to vacate the seat, paving the way for his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest as the Congress candidate. The focus now shifts to whether she can surpass her brother’s 2019 victory margin of over 4.30 lakh votes, which decreased to 3.6 lakh votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In addition to the Wayanad LS seat, by-elections are necessitated for the Palakkad and Chelakkara Assembly constituencies. In Palakkad, Congress legislator Shafi Parambil vacated his seat after winning the Vadakara Lok Sabha segment, while in Chelakkara, CPI(M) member and State SC/ST Minister K. Radhakrishnan will vacate his seat after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Alathur.
The upcoming polls hold significant implications, particularly for the BJP and CPI(M), as they seek to capitalize on these opportunities in Kerala’s political landscape. The BJP eyes a potential breakthrough in the Palakkad Assembly seat, where it narrowly trailed in the 2021 polls, while the CPI(M) is determined to defend its position in Chelakkara amidst broader electoral challenges.
The Election Commission is awaited to announce the by-election dates, prompting the three political fronts to gear up for forthcoming campaign activities.
